Ole Miss Football: A.J. Brown is nation’s best WR prospect for 2019 NFL Draft
Bringing back possibly the top receiving corps in the SEC in 2018, Ole Miss football should have a great passing game with A.J. Brown at the helm.
Ole Miss football has another tall task in navigating through the always tough SEC West in 2018, with some major losses on both sides of the ball. If the Rebels cannot get over the departures of players like running back Jordan Wilkins, quarterback Shea Patterson, and defensive end Marquis Haynes, they’ll have a rough time come the fall.
However, part of the reason for optimism for the Rebels is the extremely talented star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Ole Miss head football coach Matt Luke kept Brown away from contact in the program’s annual Grove Bowl spring game. That was likely a good move given all the injuries the Rebels saw through spring practice.
Moreover, possibly the best position group for the Rebels in 2018 is the receiving corps. Brown highlights a group that also features D.K. Metcalf and DaMarkus Lodge. Metcalf looks primed for an even bigger year in 2018, and he had a tremendous outing in the Grove Bowl.
A lot of pressure also falls on the shoulders of rising senior quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who took over after a season ending injury to Patterson last year. Ta’amu showed some natural chemistry with Brown, which could also help the profile for the talented receiver in 2018.
The point here is not the direct outlook for Brown in 2018. Barring any injury, he’ll have a great season for the Rebels. However, he does have to solidify his status as the top wide receiver that’ll come out for the 2019 NFL Draft. As of now, Brown looks like the top wide receiver in that class.
Walter Football has Brown ranked as the top wide receiver in the 2019 NFL Draft class. He’s listed ahead of other skilled receivers like Texas Longhorns’ Collin Johnson, Miami Hurricanes’ Ahmmon Richards, and South Carolina Gamecocks’ Deebo Samuel
Brown does have an obvious leg up on those guys. He had an All-American type season in 2017, and should only continue that level of performance in 2018. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Brown has the physical tools necessary to make him successful at the next level.
Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round post pro days, trades
Of late, Ole Miss has produced a ton of talented wide receivers at the NFL level. Donte Moncrief and Laquon Treadwell are just two examples of that type of talent coming out of Oxford, Miss. Brown is the next man up in that regards.