San Diego Chargers: Making the case for Malcom Brown

A great man once said, “if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unfortunately for the 2014 San Diego Chargers, the defensive line was entirely broken last season.The Bolts ranked third-worst in the league in sacks with only 26.0 sacks on the season. Not having a pass rush is one thing, but not stopping the run is an entirely another thing.

In 2014, San Diego ranked 26th in the league with 124.1 rushing yards allowed per game with a fourth-worst 4.5 yards per carry average. The Chargers 11 rushing touchdowns allowed ranked 14th in the NFL, as well.

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The best player on this defensive line would have to be DE Corey Liuget who amassed 57 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Other than Liuget, the Chargers did not have any pass rush on the defensive line. Sean Lissemore was a virtual non-factor with just 29 tackles and one sack. Opposite Liuget was DE Kendall Reyes who recorded a mere 32 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

Now, there have been two arguments that have been brought up regarding the draft. One theory is to draft Wisconsin back Melvin Gordon and take a defensive end or lineman later on in the draft. While this would give the Chargers more running prowess, the Chargers could lose out on good first-round talent such as Florida State University DT Eddie Goldman and University of Oregon DE Arik Armstead.

The second option would avoid taking Gordon in the first round and would instead get Goldman or Armstead and focus on getting a linebacker or defensive presence later on in the draft.

In my most recent mock draft I have the first option happening. The reason I did say that would happen is because of the current guys the Bolts have right now and their current contract situations. Think of it: the Bolts just signed DL Mitch Unrein and DE Ricardo Mathews. DEs Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget (both entering the final years of their respective contracts) and DTs Ryan Carrethers and Sean Lissemore are still on the roster and healthy for 2015.

Using the first round pick on a defensive tackle when you already have three other defensive tackles seems like a bit of a waste if there is another position that needs to be filled (OT, SS, ILB, OG).

I think that there are reasons to “let the players play” and Ryan Carrethers (a former 2014, fifth round pick himself) has yet to prove himself as of late.

Now, with that said, I do not believe that the Bolts should keep the players who have not produced just because of loyalty or contract restrictions. If you l0ok at Carrethers and Lissemore’s statistics, both of the Bolts DTs combined for just 41 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. That is not the type of production you want from a Super Bowl-caliber defensive line.

Sep 13, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Malcom Brown (90) sacks UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley (17)during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

And because of this simple fact, the Chargers must draft a defensive lineman, in specific, University of Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown.

Out of all the tackles in this draft, Brown was one of the most productive during his three years at Texas. Behind USC’s Leonard Williams, Brown (in my opinion) is the draft’s best defensive tackle production-wise as well as physically-wise.

Originally out of Brenham High School in Texas, Brown was one of the nation’s top recruits, earning a five-star ranking from Rivals.com and Scout.com and was rated as the 26th-best player in the nation by Rivals after a great career at BHS.

According to his University of Texas profile, Brown was an “prep All-American, all-state and three-time all-district performer on the defensive line; played in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game, selected to play in the 2012 International Bowl; three-year starter who tallied 125 career tackles, 66 TFL, 91 QBH, 24 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries and also lettered in basketball and track and field.”

With the type of production Brown had while at Brenham High, it is no wonder why he received offers to play at some of the nation’s best schools.

Eventually, Brown decided to take his talents to the University of Texas and succeeded mightily in his three years at UT.

By the end of his time in Austin, Malcom Brown (not to be confused with Malcolm Brown, the Longhorn’s running back) recorded 165 tackles (76 solo), 29 tackles for loss for -90 yards, 8.5 sacks, 14 QB hurries, two fumbles forced and six passes defended.

For his unbelievable play during his three seasons, Brown “was named a 2014 finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) and Outland Trophy (top interior lineman); earned 2014 All-America honors from Walter Camp, AP, FWAA, Sporting News, CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN.com; became the 47th Longhorn (eighth defensive tackle) to earn consensus first team All-America honors by appearing on the AP, Sporting News and FWAA squads; was a 2014 first-team All-Big 12 selection by The Associated Press, league coaches, ESPN.com and Austin American-Statesman” (per his Texas bio).

At 6’2″, 319 pounds, Brown knows how to use his body to the best of his ability with great leverage and the hands of a magician defensive tackle.

According to his profile on NFL.com, MB “flashes power and control in his hands. Discards blockers when ready as a read-and-react defender and uses a punch to keep himself clean and scrape down the line after ball carriers. Light on his feet and diagnoses very quickly. Hard defender for offensive linemen to cross-face. Too athletic and talented to consistently single block.”

Brown has had some strength problems as well as problems getting out of double teams by offensive lineman. He has been known to rely on his hands and ability to squeeze past offensive lineman than from his strength or size.

I think that with some off-season training and conditioning, Brown is going to bulk up and learn to adjust to the NFL.

And while I do very much like Melvin Gordon at the number 17 pick in the draft, I think that ultimately, the defense is more important to the overall health of this Chargers squad than at a position that has three adequate players in Donald Brown, Branden Oliver and Danny Woodhead. If the Chargers have Brown first, there will most likely be another back in the second round to select such as Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah or even Miami’s Duke Johnson.

It’s just a matter of time before we see what happens.

At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves this question about the former Longhorn: what can Brown do for you?

Next: San Diego Chargers 2015 Mock Draft

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