Arkansas Razorbacks Insider Breaks Down Jaguars CB Montaric Brown
The Jacksonville Jaguars did their part in attempting to add some youth to the secondary during April's NFL Draft, selecting Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown with their final pick -- pick No. 222 in the draft's final round.
Brown, a former four-star safety recruit, appeared in 42 games and started 34 over the last four seasons. He finished his career with 132 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, 23 pass deflections, and seven interceptions.
Brown led Arkansas in pass deflections with seven in 2020 before leading the team with 11 in 2021 and leading the entire SEC in interceptions with five, leading to him earning first-team All-SEC honors as a redshirt senior.
But what exactly will Brown bring to the roster? Arkansas insider and All Hogs reporter Andy Hodges lets us know below.
What kind of player is Montaric Brown?
Andy Hodges: Coming out of a small town in southwest Arkansas, Brown was a four-star recruit in Bret Bielema's last class with the Razorbacks.
He didn't get a lot of development he needed from playing at the Class 4A level in Arkansas where he often was the best athlete on the field every single game.
Brown was thrown to the wolves in the SEC and had three starts as a redshirt freshman in 2018, 10 starts in 2019 during a 4-20 pair of seasons that got another coaching staff fired.
With the arrival of Sam Pittman in 2020, a new coaching staff made a big difference in Brown's play and he started eight games, with 31 tackles, an interception and six passes broken up.
But folks could see the development as most passes went to the other side where a freshman was starting and he had a breakout year in 2021 as a redshirt senior. Brown grabbed five interceptions in 2021 (fifth nationally) and landed on the first-team All-SEC squad.
He is a strong run supporter, comes up quickly to challenge blockers and doesn't just wrestle running backs to the ground. If he could carry some more weight and not lose any speed, he could play safety in the NFL.
Brown covers short and crossing routes well, has a solid stiff jab on the snap of the ball and plays like a receiver on the snap at times.
If there is a negative, he's not the type cornerback that's going to be able to keep up with faster receivers on straight "go" routes down the field.How badly will the Arkansas defense and program miss Brown?
How badly will Arkansas' defense and program miss Brown
Andy Hodges: Brown's departure has created some shuffling in the Hogs' secondary with a variety of players getting plugged in there during spring practice to give coaches some development film to work with.
While the secondary that is coached by defensive coordinator Barry Odom is expected to be one of the strong points for a team that has high expectations, exactly who will fill the gap he leaves isn't known.
There is some potential there, but nobody with Brown's experience.
Brown was one of the SEC's most productive cornerbacks. Why do you think he went under the radar?
Andy Hodges: Everyone gets carried away so frequently in the NFL these days with speed, which is important, but he knows how to play defense.
Brown's time in the 40-yard dash won't exactly blow anybody away and against the real speed-burners in the league he will need a safety help over the top, which probably knocked down his draft grade.
How much special teams value could Brown bring?
Andy Hodges: The short answer is that's probably where he could immediately contribute. Because of his physical nature, he could contribute quickly on special teams. Brown can cover downfield and could also play an up-back role in returns plus his line of scrimmage reactions on defense could set him up perfectly to line up against outside gunners when opposing teams punt.
