Scouting Report: Miami Gulliver Prep Wide Receiver Jalen Brown

Here’s a scouting report regarding top 2023 wide receiver prospect Jalen Brown.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Nov 7, 2021 10:01 PM EST

One of the top prospects in the country regardless of class, this pure athlete plays at a speed that few high school players can remotely keep up with. After seeing him play live this past Saturday, no question he is one of the top players in the country.

Here’s a look at one of the top prep wide receivers in the country.

Jalen Brown

Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

Vitals: 6’1”, 170 pounds

Position: Wide Receiver

School: Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep

Class: 2023

Recruitment: Brown’s offer list already exploded with opportunities to play college football for Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Miami, Florida, UCF, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Iowa, Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska among others. On Saturday, Brown unofficially visited UCF for the game versus Tulane.

Explosiveness

His first step is that of a sprinter, and that’s actually something that Brown does as well, because he does indeed compete in track and field. He’s fast enough that going to college and competing in track and field is definitely an option, and it's something he could do in conjunction with playing football.

Watching him come off the line of scrimmage and reduce the distance between himself and the cornerback allowed for a completely different level of respect for Brown’s speed. Some track athletes do not translate their speed in spikes to speed in football cleats. Brown does, however, and it was blatantly obvious. Here's a video of Brown hitting the jets from a game in September.

That’s why it's good to see this type of athlete live and in person. His film was fantastic, but it’s just not the same as going to the game and seeing him from 15 yards away.

Change of Direction

To score Gulliver Prep’s first touchdown, Brown ran a slant. As a good wide receiver should, Brown planted his outside football and immediately went at a 45-degree angle and stayed in front of the cornerback. A good pass from quarterback Carson Haggard (Tulane commitment) that led Brown towards the end zone allowed him to keep his speed and catch the football in stride as he broke an arm tackle from the cornerback and ran into the end zone.

Everything started with the first step, but his change-of-direction skills also allowed that play to work and Brown made it look easy.

Later, during a simple wide receiver screen, Brown cut the play back across the field before being one-on-one with a defensive back. With a quick inside jab step and then moving back to the outside, Brown not only moved past the defender but also kept running at a really fast pace. He almost scored on the play, and it probably would have gone for five or less yards for many receivers. Instead, Brown made defenders miss and out ran all but one defender that possessed the angle to the sideline. Tremendous play by Brown.

Open-Field Speed

His second touchdown of the first quarter was truly different. Brown looked like the first player out to the game. He ran by the defense to a point that it took a concerted effort to find the defensive back.

When Brown wins at the line of scrimmage or a defensive back does not receive help from a free safety that accurately gauges Brown’s speed, the result will be Brown streaking past defensive backs and waiting for a pass.

That’s exactly what happened during his second touchdown of the first quarter. The Bishop Moore defense could not Match Brown’s speed, nor did it disrupt his route near the line of scrimmage. He was way out in front, and once again Haggard laid in a great pass that resulted in a touchdown. It honestly looked effortless for Brown.

Jalen Brown Wide Receiver Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep - 2023 — Not many high school defensive backs stand a chance of covering Jalen Brown, during a deep route, one-on-one
Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

Natural Hands and Protecting the Football

Regardless of speed and athleticism, a true wide receiver catches the football away from his body, and after hauling in the pigskin he tucks it away so it's hard to dislodge the football and create a fumble. Brown caught the football naturally, and he also did a fantastic job of protecting the football once he was in traffic and while being tackled.

Final Thoughts

Brown could easily be ranked in the top 10 players in the country for the class of 2023. He’s a game changer with his speed and he does so while being a true football player. This is not a young man that’s a track athlete giving football a shot. He’s a big-time player and one that will likely provide an immediate impact to whichever college program he eventually plays for.

For UCF coverage and recruiting information go to: The Daily Knight podcast. It will be found on iTunes and Spotify. For more college football, UCF and recruiting information, go to Twitter: @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation, as well as my YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Like and Subscribe!