Marquise Brown: 'He’s got that Florida speed in him'
Lamar Jackon and Marquise Brown are proud of their Florida roots.
Brown is called "Hollywood" because that's the name of his hometown in the Sunshine State.
Jackson grew up a short distance away in Pompano Beach and he contends players from Florida have a higher gear when it comes to speed.
Brown is one of those explosive playmakers and Jackson expects him to run past opponents throughout the upcoming season.
"In South Florida, when you’re good, you’re going to know about someone, and that’s what it was," Jackson said. "When he was at Oklahoma, I was at Louisville [and] I ended up leaving early. I’m watching him a lot – I’m like, man, we need to get someone like him on our team.
"His speed is crazy. He’s got that Florida speed in him, and people are mistaking him like … He’s very twitchy. That guy is fast, and that’s what it is. That’s my brother.”
Several other Ravens players marveled at Brown's speed he wasn't even running at 100 percent last year. He had undergone offseason Lisfranc surgery on his right foot the prior offseason and he was hampered by the injury for most of his rookie year.
Still, Brown had the ability to run past defenders and made several highlight-reel receptions. He was the top wide receiver on the team with 46 receptions for 584 yards with seven touchdowns.
Brown has been fully healthy this offseason and has added more muscle to his 5-foot-9, 170-pound frame judging by photos and video he posted on social media.
"I feel like he is going to have a huge jump – more than people may think," Jackson said. "He was hurt last year. People didn’t know that. But he went out there and battled his tail off each and every game on a messed-up foot. And now his full potential is going to show this year.
The Ravens selected the 5-9, 170-pound Brown with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and so far, he has met the expectations of becoming a legitimate downfield threat. Jackson wants to have a more explosive downfield attack and the key will be getting the ball to Brown.
"I feel. He’s still young, but he is going to show off," Jackson said. "And my job is to get the ball out quicker, because he’s a lot faster with that foot at 100 percent."
