Donald Brown Stats Scouting Report

SCOUTING REPORT: Led the nation in rushing in 2008 with 2,083 yards, and scored 18 touchdowns before announcing he would skip his senior season and enter NFL draft. Ran for 896 and 821 yards in first two college seasons, respectively. Capped breakout season by rushing for 261 yards in the International Bowl and earning game MVP honors in Connecticut's 38-20 win over Buffalo. While appearing to be somewhat undersized for a prototypical top NFL running back, the All-Big East First Team member has exceptional strength, running low and showing exceptional burst to squeeze through small holes in the line. Dynamic back also boasts good speed and quick open-field moves. All that adds up to an explosiveness that make him a threat to break off big runs. Showed plenty of ability as a receiver, with good hands and polished route running that allowed him to make 48 receptions for 276 yards and two TDs in three seasons at UConn. His draft status, however, may be primarily affected by whether teams believe he can be a feature back despite his size, and whether he'll break down under the pounding he'll receive from getting 300-plus carries a season. Didn't miss a game in 2008 and only sat out one in three college seasons, but lighter workloads in 2006 and '07 may cause the durability concern to persist among potential NFL employers. However, his dynamic style and versatility (also returned nine kicks for 210 yards in '06) could land him a role in which he'll receive some carries, catch passes out of the backfield and also get time as a returner, at least initially. Seems unlikely to be drafted in the first round, but could go in the second or third. - STATS

Sports Xchange Scouting Report

OVERVIEW:

Brown will not only be missed on the field for the Huskies, but also off it. He had become the university's "poster child" for his work within the community and recently began work on organizing a mentoring program for high school players from the New Jersey Shore League that produced Brown and Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. He also unveiled plans to present the Donald Brown Player-to-Player Leadership Conference back in his home state.

Ask anyone on the Connecticut staff to name the team's hardest worker and it sounds like a choir with everyone singing the praises for Brown. Ask any teammate who they would go to for mentoring or extra help and the first name you hear is Brown's. "Donnie understands the importance of giving back and how to prepare for life after football," his former head coach at Red Bank Catholic High School, Frank Edgerly, recently said. "He has a great perspective on life."

During his prep days, Brown was named first-team all-division, All-Monmouth County and All-Jersey Shore, in addition to earning second-team all-state honors as a senior. The Divisional Offensive MVP and team captain rushed for 2,032 yards and scored 27 touchdowns that year. The recipient of the All-American Scholar Award, he also lettered six times on the school's indoor and outdoor track teams.

Brown enrolled at Connecticut in 2005, where he was the top offensive player on the Huskies' scout team while redshirting that season. In 2006, Brown earned All-Big East Conference recognition, taking over as the team's starting tailback for four games after Terry Caulley was injured.

He led the team with 896 yards and seven touchdowns on 161 carries (5.6 avg.) in 12 games. He ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on just nine attempts in his college debut vs. Rhode Island and totaled 205 yards rushing vs. Pittsburgh, the 14th time a Connecticut player totaled more than 200 yards on the ground in a game.

Brown was primed for a banner sophomore campaign, but after starting the first five games, he suffered an ankle sprain vs. Akron and when he returned, he was used in a reserve role. Undaunted, he still piled up 821 yards on 170 runs (4.8 avg.) that included eight touchdowns.

In 2008, Brown won his starting job back by default, as Andre Dixon, who took advantage of Brown's 2007 injury to take over as the Huskies' starting tailback, suffered the same fate in fall camp. This time, Brown would not give the job back. He became the first player in school history to lead the nation in rushing, averaging 160.23 yards per game. The nation's only 2,000-yard rusher set school and Big East Conference season records with 2,083 yards on 367 carries (5.7 avg.). He also scored on 18 rushes and finished third on the squad with 21 receptions, good for 125 yards (6.0 avg.).

ANALYSIS:

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.

INJURY REPORT:

2007: Suffered a left ankle/foot sprain vs. Akron (9/29)...Forced to wear a protective boot for two weeks, sitting out the next game vs. Virginia (10/13).

CAREER NOTES:

Brown started 23 of 37 games at Connecticut, carrying 698 times for 3,800 yards (5.44 avg.) and 33 touchdowns, adding 276 yards and two scores on 48 receptions (5.75 avg.), 210 yards on nine kickoff returns (23.3 avg.) and 4,286 all-purpose yards while scoring 210 points...His 698 rushing attempts broke the previous school career record of 570 by Terry Caulley (2002-06) and rank fifth in Big East Conference annals behind Avon Cobourne of West Virginia (1,023; 1999-02), Ray Rice of Rutgers (910; 2005-07), Amos Zereoue of West Virginia (726; 1996-98) and Derrick Knight of Boston College (708; 2000-03)...Joined Caulley (3,187) as the only players in school history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a career, as his 3,800 yards rank sixth on the Big East all-time record list...Only Brown (33), Caulley (31) and Wilbur Gilliard (34, 1992-95) ran for more than 30 touchdowns in a career for Connecticut, as his 33 scoring runs rank ninth in Big East annals...Ran for over 100 yards 17 times, a school record and the seventh-best career total in the Big East...Averaged 5.44 yards per rushing attempt, ranking behind Caulley (5.6 avg.) on the school career-record chart...Averaged 102.7 yards per game rushing, topped only by Vin Clements (105.8 ypg, 1968-70) in Connecticut history...Ran for over 100 yards in eight consecutive games, breaking Caulley's old school mark of six (2002-03)...His 367 carries in 2008 rank second on the Big East Conference season-record list behind Rice of Rutgers (380 in 2007)...His 2,083 yards rushing in 2008 set the Big East season record, joining Rice (2,012 in 2007) as the only 2,000-yard rushers in conference annals...His 11 100-yard rushing performances in 2008 broke the Big East season record that was shared with Mike Cloud of Boston College (1998), Cobourne of West Virginia (2002), Willis McGahee of Miami (2002), Rice of Rutgers (both 2006 and 2007) and Steve Slaton of West Virginia (2006)...His average of 160.23 yards per game rushing in 2008 topped the previous conference annual record of 156.91 yards by Cloud of Boston College in 1998...His average of 159.85 all-purpose yards in 2008 set the school season record and rank sixth on the Big East's annual record book...His 18 touchdown runs in 2008 are topped by Walt Trojanowski (22 in 1945) on Connecticut's season-record chart...Carried 43 times vs. Pittsburgh in 2006, ranking behind Russ Clarke (44 vs. Vermont in 1974) on the school game-record list and second in Big East Conference annals behind Tanardo Sharps of Temple (48 vs. Rutgers, 2002)...Scored four touchdowns vs. Hofstra in 2008, the third-highest game total by a Connecticut player...Brown rushed for over 200 yards three times during his career, including 261 vs. Buffalo in 2008, the fourth-best game total by a Husky, ranking behind Nick Giaquinto (277 vs. Holy Cross, 1976), Vinny Clements (273 vs. Rhode Island, 1969) and Kevin Wesley (272 vs. Massachusetts, 1989)...His 75-yard run vs. Buffalo in the International Bowl was the school's longest run from scrimmage in postseason action.

AGILITY TESTS:

Combine: 4.46 in the 40-yard dash...1.50 10-yard dash...2.55 20-yard dash...4.10 20-yard shuttle...6.93 three-cone drill...41.5-inch vertical jump...10'5" broad jump...Did not participate in 225-pound bench press due to right a/c joint injury.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Attended Red Bank (N.J.) High School, playing football for head coach Frank Egerly...Named first-team all-division, All-Monmouth County and All-Jersey Shore, in addition to earning second-team all-state honors as a senior...The Divisional Offensive MVP and team captain rushed for 2,032 yards and scored 27 touchdowns that year...The recipient of the All-American Scholar Award, he also lettered six times on the school's indoor and outdoor track teams.

PERSONAL:

Exercise Science major...Born Donald Eugene Brown II on 4/11/87...Resides in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.