Denver Broncos View Former Ohio State Linebacker Baron Browning As Special Athlete

Browning’s athleticism and versatility give Broncos’ defense another weapon.

Author:
Andrew Lind
May 21, 2021 1:10 PM EDT

Holding the final pick of the third round in this year’s NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos received numerous calls from teams looking to trade into that spot. Instead, they stood pat and selected former Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning at No. 105 overall.

“We had a lot of action on that pick,” general manager George Paton said on draft night, “but Baron Browning was too special of an athlete to move back.”

Although the Broncos acknowledged that Browning’s versatility hurt his development in college, as he initially started at middle linebacker but moved finally outside during his senior season, it gives them options for where he can play at the next level – especially since Denver runs a 3-4 defense.

“He’s a good athlete, runs really well and has versatility,” head coach Vic Fangio said. “We like his speed and like his athleticism. We think he will be a major contributor on special teams and compete for one of the linebacker spots.”

The 6-foot-3 and 245-pound Browning spent most of his time at inside linebacker during the Broncos’ minicamp last weekend, a spot where he’ll compete with fourth-year linebackers Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson for playing time.

But Fangio believes he also has the ability to cover some of the NFL’s best tight ends on the outside, which is notable given Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Darren Waller of Las Vegas Raiders are also in the AFC West.

“He’s the type of athlete that, in obvious passing situations, I think we have some freedom there and flexibility where we put him,” Fangio said. “In more of the non-obvious downs such as first and second down, I think we'll probably try him at inside first, and if it's not working out we'll put him outside and maybe even cross-train him.”

Browning admits he’s more comfortable on the outside, which is where he put forth his best season in 2020 after splitting time with Tuf Borland at middle linebacker for three years prior. But he’s willing to do whatever the team asks and is already settling into his new role as a result.

“It's a great feeling just because I can focus on that one position and critique every small detail,” Browning said. “When you're asked to do so many jobs — I embraced that role and I feel like I'm a very selfless player and a team player — it's hard to find all the small intangibles and critique yourself the same way you could if you're playing one position.

"No matter how good of an athlete you are, if you give somebody a lot of responsibility, all those different responsibilities start to blend together. You're trying to be cautious and make sure you're doing the right thing before you read what you see and go because you don't want to have a mishap. I think playing one position allows you to play faster."

Another thing that will make Browning feel more at home in Denver’s defense is that the Broncos have selected two other Buckeyes in the last three years in defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones in 2019 and defensive end Jonathon Cooper in the seventh round of this year’s draft.

“He’s a brother of mine. Somebody I’d do anything for,” Browning said when asked about being drafted alongside Cooper. "It’s a great feeling to have somebody you played college ball with take a journey with you, because you can lean on one another.

“Dre'Mont's another one that I played with at Ohio State. He’s a great brother, as well. Someone I can joke around with, so it's pretty cool just to have someone that's already been through the rookie phase here in this program and somebody to just kind of lean on and get advice from.”

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