Rookie Profile - Week 4

  Posted 9/29 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive for Footballguys.com

Player: Donald Brown

College: Connecticut

Drafted: 1st round, 27th overall

College Stats

College Highlights

2006 - Freshman Year

Brown entered his redshirt freshman season in 2006 as a kickoff returner and second string running back behind senior captain and incumbent starter, Terry Caulley. Brown showed flashes of his running ability in the first game of the year, when he rushed for 118 yards on only 9 carries, including a 53 yard touchdown run, against Rhode Island. He would play primarily on special teams for the first half of the year. However, when Caulley went down with an injury before Connecticut's game against Rutgers on October 29, Brown was asked to make his first career start at running back. He made the most of this opportunity, as he rushed for 199 yards on 28 carries and 2 touchdowns. This performance proved to be too good to ignore, as he was awarded the starting job for the rest of the season. Brown had his best outing of his freshman campaign in the next game when he rushed for 205 yards on 43 carries with 3 touchdowns (1 receiving) in Connecticut's 46-45 double overtime win over Pittsburgh. Brown would average 134 yards per game in the five Big East games that he started. He finished the year with 896 yards and 9 touchdowns (2 receiving), which was good enough to award him with a 2nd team All Big East nomination.

2007 - Sophomore Year

Brown began his sophomore season with heightened expectations brought on by his very successful rookie campaign. However, nagging injuries combined with the emergence of fellow sophomore Andre Dixon would hamper his sophomore season. He would finish the year with 821 yards and 8 touchdowns, which was good for second on the team, behind Dixon. Twice, Brown ran for 100 yards in a game (against Rutgers and West Virginia) and just missed two more by rushing for 99 yards against Duke and Syracuse.

2008 - Junior Year

A preseason ankle injury to Dixon would cement Brown as the Huskies starting running back for the start of his junior season. It would be a position that he would not relinquish. Brown would begin the year with eight straight 100 yard games and would twice eclipse the 200 yard mark (against Temple and Virginia). He arguably had his best performance in the second game of the year as he rushed for 214 yards on 36 carries and the game's only touchdown against Temple, in a game played in a monsoon due to Tropical Storm Hannah. Included in his 214 yards was every one of Connecticut's 25 yards in overtime.

Brown rushed for 150 yards in the eighth game of the season at home in a 40-16 Connecticut victory over eventual Big East champion Cincinnati. These 150 yards increased his season total to 1,324, which set a new Connecticut single-season record. The old tally of 1,262 had been set by Tory Taylor in 1995. Brown needed only eight games to break Taylor's record. Brown continued his record breaking season in the tenth game at Syracuse. In that game, he rushed for 131 yards on 31 attempts. A 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter would allow Brown to surpass Caulley as Connecticut's all time leading rusher.

Brown would finish the regular season with 1,822 yards, which placed him first for rushing in the NCAA Division I FBS. His performance awarded him the Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

On January 3, 2009, Brown was named Player of the Game in UConn's 38-20 victory over the University at Buffalo in the 2009 International Bowl in Toronto. He finished the game with 261 yards rushing (208 in the first half) and a touchdown. He finished the season with 2,083 rushing yards, becoming only the 14th player in FBS history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. On January 8, 2009, Brown was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Following the International Bowl, Brown announced his intention to enter the 2009 NFL Draft.

From wikipedia.org.

2009 Production To Date

Brown has showcased his playmaking abilities the past two weeks. He has totaled 99 yards on 29 carries and a score this season on the ground. Brown has added 112 receiving yards to the total on four catches. He has been a good performer for the Indianapolis Colts so far. With the strong showing so early in the year, he could see his role expand over the span of the season.

Best Game To Date

Brown had a high in carries on Sunday night against the Cardinals. He carried the ball 14 times for 40 yards, and added a 72-yard catch and run. Brown almost equaled his season total of carries in the game. The 112 total yards were obviously a career high since it exceeds his total coming into the game.

Situation In 2009

Donald Brown splits time with starter Joseph Addai. Addai sees the majority of the carries early on as the Indianapolis offense establishes the tempo in games. Even though Addai starts the games, it is Brown that sees action late in the contests. In the first two games, against the Jaguars and Dolphins, Brown was in the game late in the fourth quarter, even though both games were in doubt until the final gun. Brown has a bright future and could overtake Addai this season. There will be a committee in Indianapolis going forward, just like in years past.

Long-term Situation

Brown will split time with Addai at least for the next two seasons. Addai is under contract through the 2010 season. The Colts have used a two-back rotation and is unlikely to go with just a primary ball carrier. Even if Brown starts getting the majority of the carries, Addai will still have a prominent role.

Potential Upside

Brown has good size and is quicker than most realize. He adds a playmaking dimension to the Colt offense. His playmaking potential was evident at the NFL Combine. Brown posted: 4.10 second 20-yard shuttle, 11.30 60-yard shuttle, and 41.5 vertical jump. This was after a monster Junior campaign with over 2,000 rushing yards and 18 rushing scores. Brown has the potential to be a Top 12 fantasy back, but the committee approach utilized by the Colts will limit the upside.

College Profile from NFL.com

Positives: Compact build. Runs with a low center of gravity. Good speed to and through the hole. Best attributes might be his vision and stop-and-start ability. Shifty runner who can slide in and out of the hole at the point of attack and hit the seam before it really opens. Deceptively fast once he gets to the second level. Good balance to appear to lean one way to deceive the oncoming safety, only to bounce the other. At least adequate straight-line speed to gain yardage in chunks. Soft hands out of the backfield and an alert receiver. High effort player.

Negatives: A bit narrow in his shoulders and might lack the frame to add much weight. Might lack the bulk and leg drive to be a true bell-cow runner at the NFL level. Lacks elite speed to breakaway from NFL defenders. Marginal size and strength as a pass blocker. Struggles of past Connecticut backs to translate their collegiate success to the NFL will force some teams to pause on draft day, especially considering the role left tackle William Beatty -- himself a first-day prospect -- had on Brown's success.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

Keep An Eye On

Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace has played well in limited duty this season as the Pittsburgh Steelers' third wide receiver. Wallace is extremely fast, clocking sub-4.3 times in the 40 yard dash. He gives the Steelers offense an added dimension. The 51-yard completion deep down the field is just an indication of the rookie's ability. The rookie from Ole Miss led all Steelers with seven receptions and 102 yards on the day. Wallace has the confidence of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, making key receptions in weeks one and three. Wallace is still a little raw as a route runner, but has the potential to be a good receiver in time. He is a player to watch as Hines Ward ages and Limas Sweed continues to disappoint.