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Jacksonville Jaguars: Blair Brown must fill big shoes

By Tyler Spinnenweber

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Benjamin Watson of the Baltimore Ravens breaks through Blair Brown of the Jacksonville Jaguars turnover score a touchdown during the NFL International Series match between Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Benjamin Watson of the Baltimore Ravens breaks through Blair Brown of the Jacksonville Jaguars turnover score a touchdown during the NFL International Series match between Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on September 24, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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Jacksonville Jaguars second year linebacker Blair Brown will look to fill the void left by longtime leader Paul Posluszny.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Blair Brown in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Ohio.

The former Bobcat was seen as an undersized linebacker in the draft standing at only 5-11 and weighing 238 pounds.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said this about Brown during the draft process,

"Brown isn’t going to check off the “physical traits” boxes for teams who always prioritize height-length-speed at linebacker, but he gets a big check mark in the “find ball, get ball” box. He’s instinctive and has the play strength and leverage to fight through blocks and make his way into tackling position. Despite just one season of high-end tackle production, he has the anticipation, athleticism and toughness to make a roster and eventually challenge for playing time."

Here’s a look at a bit of his tape from college:

Undersized linebackers certainly don’t scare the Jaguars. The Jags already have two in Telvin Smith and Myles Jack. Smith was 6-3, yet only 218 pounds coming out of the 2014 draft. Jack was only 6-1 and 248 pounds during the 2016 draft. Some thought Jack would be better suited for running back or safety at the next level than linebacker.

Both have proved the naysayers wrong. Smith was a pro bowler in 2017 and Jack was a starter in 2017 and had an excellent postseason in the Jaguars run to the AFC Championship Game.

Brown didn’t play much on the Jaguars star-studded defense in 2017. According to Phillip Heilman of Jacksonville.com:

"Last season, he played just 48 defensive snaps (224 on special teams) during the regular season, with a high of 11 in place of an injured Smith against Indianapolis in Week 13.In the playoffs, Brown played 19 defensive snaps against Buffalo but zero in games against Pittsburgh and New England."

With the retirement of longtime Jaguar Paul Posluszny, Brown will be the starter come Sept. 9 against the New York Giants. Brown’s lack of playing time in 2017 shouldn’t be too much of a concern for the Jaguars though.

The Jaguars 2018 defense is stacked with Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Marcell Dareus, Telvin Smith, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Tashaun Gipson and Barry Church. The team also added SEC standouts in Taven Bryan and Ronnie Harrison in the draft, who could be immediate contributors in 2018 and hopeful longterm answer at their respective positions.

If Brown plays poorly, the rest of the defense can surely make up for it. The run defense improved greatly with the midseason addition of Dareus from Buffalo and quarterbacks have little time to throw with Ngakoue, Campbell and Fowler coming off the edge.

The team also drafted Leon Jacobs in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. Though he was a seventh round pick, Jacobs is freakishly athletic. If Brown doesn’t pan out, there is certainly some depth behind him.

Finally, the Jaguars prefer to play defense with an extra defensive back on the field. Aaron Colvin was the teams nickel corner from last year but is now in Houston. Colvin was replaced by former first round draft pick D.J. Hayden who came over from the Detroit Lions.

Next: NFL 2018: Ranking the 50 best pass rushers

If the team does have an extra defensive back on the field in 2018 then Brown will likely be watching on the sideline given the experience and sideline to sideline ability of Smith and Jack. If Brown does pan out and things come together for the second year linebacker then the Jacksonville Jaguars defense could be even better in 2018.

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