Finding Broncos: Scouting Northern Iowa OT Spencer Brown
Welcome to Finding Broncos, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with Northern Iowa offensive tackle Spencer Brown, a talented prospect but does he fit the Denver Broncos?
Measurables
- Height: 6 feet 8.5
- Weight: 315 pounds
Pros
- Has really good length and he uses it pretty well.
- Seems to have a good football IQ to see and break down pass rushers plans of attack.
- Has good pop in his hands to stun defenders on contact.
- Does a good job of recognizing blitzes and stunts.
- Has power in his hands to bring rushers to a standstill.
- Solid power to drive defenders as a run blocker.
- Has the feisty and fierce attitude as a blocker.
- Always looks to finish his blocks.
- Plays with good balance throughout his pass sets and as a run blocker.
- Knows how to use his length to cover up other issues in his game.
- The motor is non-stop and he will play to the whistle.
- Always looks to end his rep with the defender on the ground.
Cons
- Doesn’t offer up positional versatility and is a tackle-only prospect.
- Has issues handling leverage.
- Just by his size, he has a higher pad level than most tackles.
- Lateral mobility isn’t ideal, but the length helps cover some issues there.
- Height makes it awkward to drop his butt into an anchor because it stills gives plenty of space for leverage from defenders.
- Needs a lot of technical refinement and development.
- Needs more power and strength in his lower body.
- Looks lean and could use to add about 10-15 pounds.
- Needs a quicker kick slide to hander faster rushers around the corner.
- Struggles with a change of direction pass rush moves.
Overview
Playing at a smaller school has kept Brown somewhat under the radar in the public eye. His tape is great and he consistently flashes the talent and potential he has to be a great NFL offensive tackle.
There are a lot of technical and mechanical aspects of his game that need coached up, cleaned up, and to be developed, as well as spending some time in the weight room to bulk up. Brown has tremendous upside, but it is going to take time to get there, so whatever team drafts him, they will need to be willing to deal with the growing pains.
Fit with Broncos
Denver can use a developmental tackle option and Spencer Brown would be a really good choice. He can play right away if there are issues with Ju’Wuan James, but could use some time on the bench if James is able to make it the whole season.
What Brown brings to the table as a prospect are great tools for Mike Munchak to work with, and develop into what hopefully would be a long term right tackle for the Broncos.
Grade: Round 3
Where he goes: Round 3
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!