MALCOLM BROWN SELECTED BY THE PATRIOTS

A long, long night for Malcolm Brown ended in celebration for the former Brenham Cub defensive lineman, as he was the final pick in the first round of the NFL draft by the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.

Brown had been projected as a mid-first round pick, but as the night wore on, the 6-3 320-pound Longhorn junior continued to wait for his name to be called.

Then, with the last pick of the night, the Patriots made what a number of ESPN and NFL Network analysts called “the steal of the draft”.

Mike Mayock of the NFL Network says he was shocked Brown was still available at number-32.  "This is a great pick for the Patriots. To get Brown is tremendous. He has an ability to push the pocket. He can be a three-down player, but in New England he'll be in a system in which he plays all over the place."

ESPN’s Todd McShay was also impressed with the Patriot’s pick, “Absolutely love #pats pick of DT Brown. 19th best player in draft IMO. Has scheme versatility. Run stopper with above avg. pass rush for pos.

Brown fills a definite need for the Patriots, after long-time starter Vince Wilfork was released and signed with the Houston Texans.

Brown’s head coach at Brenham, Glen West, says the Patriots indicated at Brown’s Pro-Day in Austin they were very interested.  “The Patriots were the only team that sent their defensive coordinator to the workout.  He was so impressed with Malcolm that he stayed in Austin an extra day just to talk with him.”

West says he talked with Brown just moments after his selection, “He was so excited.  He just kept saying ‘I’m so happy!  I’m just so happy!’  He’s such a great person.  I’m so proud of him.”

Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick told the Boston Globe, he’s impressed with Brown’s versatility, “He’s a guy who played inside, on the nose, all the way outside to the five-technique, and kind of everywhere in between, so he’s been moved around a little bit,”

“He played a little bit more outside this year in coach [Charlie] Strong’s defense and a little more inside with the previous staff.”

“He’s athletic. He can run, plays on his feet, he’s got good quickness,” Belichick said. “For anybody to make that transition [to the NFL] it takes a lot of things. Hopefully, he’s got all the components that are necessary, or at least a lot of them.”

ESPN draft expert Louis Riddick called Brown’s selection, “…the best value pick of the first round, by far.  Bill (Belichek) had to be ecstatic that a player of Brown’s talent and outstanding character fell into his lap at number-32.  Are you kidding me?”

Brown becomes the first Brenham Cub to be selected in the first round of the playoffs since Wilson Whitley was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977.