2021 Draft Profile: Northern Iowa’s Spencer Brown

[Steeler Nation]

Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft starting on April 29th, we will be releasing several draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Spencer Brown (Tackle), Northern Iowa, RS Senior​

The Need:

Offensive line is one of the biggest needs to address this offseason. Specifically, the Steelers need to add to the center and tackle positions in this year’s draft. The Steelers’ offense struggled to get the run game going in 2020 and one of the many contributing factors to that was the offensive line struggling to move people and open holes. The Steelers are in need of some nastiness on the offensive line and that’s exactly what Spencer Brown could bring to the table at tackle. In my personal opinion, he is one of the most underrated offensive line prospects this draft cycle.

Brown measures in at 6’8.5”, 314 lbs. He is projected to be a 3rd-4th round pick when the draft gets under way next Thursday. ESPN currently has Brown listed as the 11th best tackle prospect and the 97th best overall prospect. I have a feeling he would be higher on draft prospect rankings if he played at a bigger named school against more NFL caliber competition.






Pros:

• High motor player; blocks from snap to whistle each snap
• Nasty finisher; always looks to put defenders on their backs
• High football IQ; quick to recognize stunts and reacts to shut it down
• Strong hands; absolute mauler with his first punch
• Versatility; his size and length scream left tackle
• Strong upper body that allows him to control defenders with ease once his hands are on them
• Excellent pass set, solid fundamentally

Cons:

• Could struggle with speed rushers due to athletic limitations
• Hasn’t faced the same level of competition that some of the other top 15 tackles have faced
• May need some time to get stronger in his base
• He may be solid fundamentally, but he struggles moving quickly laterally at times

Check out Brown’s career highlights at the University of Northern Iowa below:


What do you think of Northern Iowa’s Spencer Brown? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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[Steeltime]

This comment about "athletic limitations" is really not true. The issue with Brown is that he is so tall, when elite pass rushers bend as they start to turn the corner Brown just cannot get his hands in front of the pass rusher and instead tends to push them from the back. That works sometimes, but if the pass rusher has turned the corner, Brown tends to push the pass rusher towards the QB.

I think it is a problem that can be fixed with work on his footwork. I disagree with the "athleticism" claim since that suggests he has physical limitations that simply cannot be overcome, while as far as I am concerned, his issue is more footwork-related.

 

[Litos]

Is he a RT only or could he move to the blindside

 

[Steeltime]

I think he starts at RT but can develop pretty quickly into an NFL LT. He played RT in college, and has some learning to do but the dude's tool kit is unique. Quick, good balance, strong, excellent footwork. His problem is that because he is so tall, pass rushers can turn the corner on him while bending and Brown tends to try to block them by pushing them in the back. No good. Also, when beat around the corner, he does tend to grab the guy going by, so he is going to get some flags.

Two points. First, we are talking a guy in the 4th round, so if he started for 3 years at a power 5 school and had no technique issues, why the @#$% would he last to the 4th round?

Second, the technique issues are something I think he conquers because he is a freak athlete. 6'8", 35" arm lengths, despite that 29 reps, fast (4.4 shuttle, 6.96 3-cone). People at the Senior Bowl said they witnessed improvement with 3 days of professional coaching. Give him 2 months, and he is a starter at RT with the tools needed to play LT.