Orlando Brown Jr. Shows Numbers Can Be Deceiving at NFL Combine

Orlando Brown Jr. can laugh about it nowadays.

There was a time when his performance at the NFL Combine was no joking matter.

Brown had one of the worst performances in the history of those individual workouts, finishing dead last in the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the broad jump.

That performance didn't scare the Ravens.

Baltimore selected Brown in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He started 10 games his rookie year and carried the momentum over to this past season when he named to the NFL Pro Bowl and helped the Ravens set new single-season franchise records for total touchdowns (64), points (531), rushing yards (3,296) and total net yards (6,521).

Baltimore also had the the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense with 33.2 points per game behind the stout offensive line.

"We expected to be a great group this year," Brown said. "That's just our mentality. That's just our approach with our confidence and swagger. We're not as concerned with maybe statistics of not giving up sacks and less penalties. More so, [it’s about] dominating our opponent every play. And I think as a group we understand that we're playing well, but there's still a ton of room to grow, especially, for me personally and for the other guys, too.”

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and several other members of the team will be in Indianapolis this week scouting players. While it's an opportunity to see some of these potential draftees up close, DeCosta and his staff know the number don't tell the entire story.

The OL position isn’t easy to evaluate...it’s easy to turn to numbers because typically your best blockers are your best Athletes. In my opinion it’s simple, OL is like a form of art. We all have different tools and abilities..
— Orlando Brown Jr. (@ZEUS__57) February 26, 2019

The players appreciate the wisdom because it can produce a player like Brown.

“He's a hardworking kid," Ravens right guard Marshal Yanda said about his young teammate. "He's a great kid. He loves football. He loves being a part of it, loves the camaraderie of the guys. I'm happy to play next to him. He's really improved in his second year and just taken that next step for sure. You have a lot of room to improve in your second year. You're a young, raw."