Big 12 Football: 50 best players of all-time

Big 12 Football best players of all-time: 28. Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma football

Currently a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Marquise Brown actually was in the same Florida Pop Warner league as Lamar Jackson, who is his current quarterback. The two weren’t on the same team, but that’s an interesting tidbit. Another fun fact about Brown is that his cousin is Antonio Brown, the Super Bowl-winning (and highly controversial) wide receiver who has often been considered one of the best in the NFL during his prime.

Despite his NFL bloodlines, Brown didn’t receive any Division 1 offers and had to go the JUCO route. He played for College of the Canyons and worked at Six Flags Magic Mountain to pay for his tuition. It paid off for him as that led to an offer from Oklahoma, and he made the most of it.

His first season with the Sooners was in 2017 and with Baker Mayfield throwing him the ball. “Hollywood” Brown (nicknamed for being from Hollywood, Florida) had 1,095 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 receptions. Then in 2018, he worked with Kyler Murray and continued to ball out. The junior receiver had 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 17.6 yards per catch.

Brown would end up being the first wide receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, taken by the Ravens at No. 25 overall. His claim to fame in the collegiate world was his ability to beat the defense deep and he’s continued to do the same thing at the next level.