(Photo: Boston Herald)
A.J. Brown burst onto the scene in college in 2016 while playing for his hometown Ole Miss Rebels. In his first season with the team, he finished with 412 receiving yards. The following year, he recorded his first 1,000-yard season and repeated the feat in 2018 before declaring for the NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans selected the Wide Receiver in the second round of the NFL Draft, and he made an immediate impact. Some analysts even called him the steal of the draft. In 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired the receiver, and he quickly became a focal point of their offense. This past season, Brown became increasingly vocal about his frustrations with the Eagles’ offense, leading to rumors that he could be traded to the New England Patriots. The move finally happened, and A.J. will be playing this season for the defending AFC Champions.
A.J. is one of the ten best wide receivers in football and has been impactful since stepping foot into the league. When I watch him, I see a player who can line up in the slot and create problems because of his size, strength, and route-running ability. At 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, lining him up inside often forces defenses to match him with linebackers, safeties, or nickel corners, creating significant physical mismatches. He’s built more like a running back than a traditional wide receiver, and while he isn’t the tallest receiver, he plays like a dominant possession target. Brown is a violent runner with the ball in his hands. The way he gets in and out of breaks, creates separation, and attacks defenders makes him one of the most physically imposing receivers in the league. In many ways, he plays the position with the mentality of a linebacker, embracing physicality rather than avoiding it. Over the years, how many times have you heard me say that catching the football is only part of the equation? It’s what a player does after the catch that truly stands out. This is the poster child for YAC (yards after catch). He moves exceptionally well in space and can turn a routine reception into an explosive play. Defensive backs can cover him perfectly, but all he needs is the slightest crease in coverage to turn a seven-yard slant into a 40-yard gain. I also appreciate A.J.’s confidence in contested-catch situations. He consistently wins 50/50 balls because of his strength, body control, and ability to position himself. Not only can he beat defenses underneath, but he’s also a legitimate deep threat, making it difficult for defenses to crowd the line of scrimmage. He can break tackles after the catch, displays elite strength at the catch point, dominates on slants and other in-breaking routes, and remains a reliable red-zone target.
A.J. was a very good player in Tennessee, but he became an elite one in Philadelphia. During his four seasons with the Eagles, he recorded a 1,000-yard receiving season every year. After the Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, I called for the Patriots to acquire a true No. 1 receiver, and now they finally have one. Brown will provide Drake Maye with a consistent and reliable target on the perimeter and in the slot, also every Quarterback has that safety valve and that’s what I see the veteran receiver becoming for Drake. The trade also reunites Brown with Mike Vrabel, who coached him during his time in Tennessee.
