What's your take on Antonio Brown as a prospect? (1 Viewer)

[Hoss_Cartwright]

Brown finished the year on a positive with 4 catches for 89 yards in the playoffs. He's at best the 4th receiver right now and at best #3 when Ward retires. Sanders looks like the real deal as a young prospect himself and Wallace is a stud, so unless there is a an injury I don't see Brown as being fantasy relevant in the near future, but he does show some nice potential. Here is some past info on him from the combine and a scouting report.

Antonio Brown - Showed good speed and burst while displaying natural hands in the drills. Could compete for a day two slot thanks to his return ability.

STRENGTHS

Underrated slot receiver/kick returner

Tremendous acceleration

Good burst and can cut on a time

Explosive runner after the catch - Elusive with the ball in the open field

Tremendously productive averaged over 100 catches and 1,066 yards per year as a three year starter

A natural pass catcher who knows how to get open

Dynamic kick returner - Two Time MAC Special Team Player of the Year

MAC Freshman of the Year

WEAKNESSES

Undersized - rail thin

Lacks elite straight line speed for a small receiver - 4.5

Did not run a complete route tree at CMU - made his living on quick slants and bubble screens

Could struggle to play on the outside

Lack of size could hinder his ability to get off the line

 

[bronco fan]

I believe Brown is well worth a roster spot in deeper dynasty leagues. When Ward finally rides into the sunset, Brown will be a valuable slot receiver capable of 80-85 catches a year. And, if there is an injury ahead of him, Brown will fill in nicely and become even more valuable. I have Brown rostered in two deep dynasty leagues, and I feel good about keeping him for another year or two to see what happens.

 

[loose circuits]

I have him as a handcuff of Wallace of sorts in one league. If there is an injury to Pitt WR's I think he steps in and they barely lose a beat

 

[Multiple Scores]

Good hold in deep leagues, sanders looks good but brown being better and the eventual #2 is not to big of a reach.

 

[eakfootball]

Similar type of player as Mike Thomas, maybe he becomes the slot receiver when Ward retires.

 

[Raider Nation]

The secret is out.... four days before my draft.

 

[Multiple Scores]

I try not to make evaluations the second after a career highlight.

 

[Raider Nation]

I try not to make evaluations the second after a career highlight.

Nothing to do with that. He was on my radar all summer. Now his price just went up.

 

[Raider Nation]

And AGAIN! Jesus.

 

[Macho Camacho]

4-137-2 in the first half. Secret's out, indeed.

 

[Raider Nation]

Between this and previously hearing that he's been "the star of training camp," it's time to find a new sleeper.

Goodnight, Hines.

 

[CrossEyed]

Between Brown, Wallace, and Sanders, this could be one dangerous WR corps for a long time.

 

[Raider Nation]

Love the way he went up with his hands to high-point the 2nd TD. If he waits for that ball to get to his body, it gets swatted away.

 

[Azman1784]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

 

[hitchcock]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Tough call, haven't watched Moore in game action except first preseason game. Brown's proved he can do it in the game against a good opponent this year and last year, plus he's in a better offense.

 

[LHUCKS]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

 

[valhallan]

On the first TD, Brown got off the ball about as quick as anyone I've ever seen.

 

[Raider Nation]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

Time to educate Levi. Again.

Total yards, 2010:

Oakland - 5,674

Pittsburgh - 5,525

PPG, 2010:

Oakland - 25.6

Pittsburgh - 23.4

 

[Irish Chaos]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

Time to educate Levi. Again.

Total yards, 2010:

Oakland - 5,674

Pittsburgh - 5,525

PPG, 2010:

Oakland - 25.6

Pittsburgh - 23.4

huge fan of lhucks but i didnt even know that....

 

[Raider Nation]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

Time to educate Levi. Again.

Total yards, 2010:

Oakland - 5,674

Pittsburgh - 5,525

PPG, 2010:

Oakland - 25.6

Pittsburgh - 23.4

huge fan of lhucks but i didnt even know that....

That said though, I still take Brown over Moore.

 

[LHUCKS]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

Time to educate Levi. Again.

Total yards, 2010:

Oakland - 5,674

Pittsburgh - 5,525

PPG, 2010:

Oakland - 25.6

Pittsburgh - 23.4

huge fan of lhucks but i didnt even know that....

Probably the most misleading stat I've ever seen on this board.There isn't a single sane analyst that believes the Raiders offense is better than the Steelers offense.

But let the Raiders fans believe they have a chance this year...gotta love early season optimism.

 

[The Stuttering Auctioneer]

Which guy would you rather take a WR5 or WR6 flyer on, Brown or Denarius Moore? Both guys tearing up camp.

Brown...he plays in a real offense.

Time to educate Levi. Again.

Total yards, 2010:

Oakland - 5,674

Pittsburgh - 5,525

PPG, 2010:

Oakland - 25.6

Pittsburgh - 23.4

Wonder what those #'s would have been if Big Ben wasn't suspended for the 1st four games....

 

[rascal]

Chances he takes the #2 spot?

 

[treat88]

I know some will disagree with this, but IMO he is already a more well rounded receiver than Wallace.

He will run the short and intermediate routes fearlessly as well as threaten the deep half with speed that is essentially Wallace's equal. He has the best hands on the team excluding only Miller and that is a maybe.

I'm not sure the real question is does he become the #2. He will force Ward to rotate out more often than not as it is. I think the question may be does he make Wallace the#2.

The only question he has to answer is regarding his grasp of the mental aspect of the game. If he has the playbook mastered, this is a superstar in the making.

I will rarely gush over a player, but as a Steeler honk that follows this team and sport about as closely as it can be followed....the kid is the real deal.

 

[BallparkFrank]

What pick range do you slot this cat in a rookie/fa draft?

 

[DansRams]

What pick range do you slot this cat in a rookie/fa draft?

Im thinking 2nd round. Cobb is considered a 1st by many and Brown can't be too far behind him, could he? It actually would be an interesting debate on these boards.

 

[cantstop1999]

I know some will disagree with this, but IMO he is already a more well rounded receiver than Wallace.He will run the short and intermediate routes fearlessly as well as threaten the deep half with speed that is essentially Wallace's equal. He has the best hands on the team excluding only Miller and that is a maybe.I'm not sure the real question is does he become the #2. He will force Ward to rotate out more often than not as it is. I think the question may be does he make Wallace the#2.The only question he has to answer is regarding his grasp of the mental aspect of the game. If he has the playbook mastered, this is a superstar in the making.I will rarely gush over a player, but as a Steeler honk that follows this team and sport about as closely as it can be followed....the kid is the real deal.

come on , let's see him do it like wallace has. its pre-season, you know how many guys light it up in pre-season and dont come regular season. I know its the 3rd pre-season, so what wallace is the star there period.

 

[elcohiba]

So what will become of Sanders? I think I'd grab both he and Brown at this time and see how it shakes out.

 

[njherdfan]

So what will become of Sanders? I think I'd grab both he and Brown at this time and see how it shakes out.

That was my question too for Steelers homers. Sanders had a lot of pre-season hype. Once Sanders gets on the field, does he supplant Brown?

 

[Scooby1974]

So what will become of Sanders? I think I'd grab both he and Brown at this time and see how it shakes out.

That was my question too for Steelers homers. Sanders had a lot of pre-season hype. Once Sanders gets on the field, does he supplant Brown?

Hasn't Sanders had 3 different surgeries on his FEET already, and isn't he still out trying to heel (no pun intended)? If Sanders can't hold up, Brown looks to be in a very good spot with an aging Ward and an accurate QB in Big Ben.

 

[Inspiration]

So what will become of Sanders? I think I'd grab both he and Brown at this time and see how it shakes out.

That was my question too for Steelers homers. Sanders had a lot of pre-season hype. Once Sanders gets on the field, does he supplant Brown?

Hasn't Sanders had 3 different surgeries on his FEET already, and isn't he still out trying to heel (no pun intended)?

 

[treat88]

I know some will disagree with this, but IMO he is already a more well rounded receiver than Wallace.He will run the short and intermediate routes fearlessly as well as threaten the deep half with speed that is essentially Wallace's equal. He has the best hands on the team excluding only Miller and that is a maybe.I'm not sure the real question is does he become the #2. He will force Ward to rotate out more often than not as it is. I think the question may be does he make Wallace the#2.The only question he has to answer is regarding his grasp of the mental aspect of the game. If he has the playbook mastered, this is a superstar in the making.I will rarely gush over a player, but as a Steeler honk that follows this team and sport about as closely as it can be followed....the kid is the real deal.

come on , let's see him do it like wallace has. its pre-season, you know how many guys light it up in pre-season and dont come regular season. I know its the 3rd pre-season, so what wallace is the star there period.

yeah I know I'm out on a limb with this one. Consider just a couple things (small sample size obviously applies):1) brown was the most targeted wide receiver on a per snap basis in the league last season2) he caught 16 of the 19 passes thrown his way and did it during pressure situations3) he is a 6th round pick who now in 1 season has grown into the discussion as the #2 wide receiver4) for all his accolades and production wallace is extremely limited route runneri see a Holmes clone who in PPR formats could easily become the #1 option.

 

[LTF]

The Steelers primary offensive set is 3 wide.

This will feature Wallace and Brown on the outside with Ward in the slot.

For 2012, I think this will be Wallace and Brown on the outside with Sanders in the slot (Ward gets his 10,000 catches this season then retires). But for this year I think both Sanders and Cotchery will rotate some behind Ward and Brown and the Steelers are a team that isn't afraid to go 4 and 5 wide either.

Brown has a genuine opportunity to step up and be a star. Wallace is never going to be a guy that's a huge reception type, and Ward is naturally progressing into a role of lesser and lesser importance. Brown should also benefit from the added attention Wallace naturally receives (demanding safety help over the top). This will give Brown a lot of 1 on 1 opportunities, and I think he has a chance to shine.

 

[DansRams]

What pick range do you slot this cat in a rookie/fa draft?

Im thinking 2nd round. Cobb is considered a 1st by many and Brown can't be too far behind him, could he? It actually would be an interesting debate on these boards.

I asked Cecil and Bloom their preference (Cobb vs Brown in Dynasty) on Cecil's radio show this morning.Cecil - Says he has to go with BrownBloom - Close but he thinks Cobb is special so he still prefers Cobb.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Between this and previously hearing that he's been "the star of training camp," it's time to find a new sleeper.

Yes, even since before the first preseason game, all reports from the coaches and media down at camp were that Brown and Baron Batch (who now has a torn ACL) were the stars of TC.In most leagues, Id say he's still a solid sleeper and many people will probably brush off his numbers as preseason stuff, and still consider Hines a lock to get more targets and TDs, where at this point, I personally am projecting Brown with 75 more yards and both with 6 TDs. Tougher question is where will he go in my Steelers homer draft tonight. I feel like someone will take him before he's even on my radar, but even in a homer draft with IDPs I cant see him going before the 14th and at that point Id probably take him.Off topic Sidenote: Whats up with the Search Function since the forum switched over? I searched "antonio" and not only were the threads not ordered with the most recently replied to thread at the top, but this thread didnt even come up in my search.

 

[Kenny Powers]

So what will become of Sanders? I think I'd grab both he and Brown at this time and see how it shakes out.

That was my question too for Steelers homers. Sanders had a lot of pre-season hype. Once Sanders gets on the field, does he supplant Brown?

IMO, the love for Sanders this offseason was more a product of him being the #3 WR in a potent offense whose #2WR is fading and is getting passes thrown to him by a Top 5 QB. I feel like all of those things factored into his 2011 projections than his actual on field production last year.Today, Sanders has yet to even start doing drills with the team, let alone show up in a preseason game, and theyre saying he likely wont be ready by the beginning of the season now. On the other hand, Brown has gotten praise from everyone since the CBA was signed, and its translated to games as well. Id be shocked if he hasnt surpassed Sanders by the time he gets back, whenever that might be. I think the coaching staff is smart enough to recognize what Brown has been doing the past month to realize he has earned a ton of playing time. Forget about the fact he was a 6th round draft pick and Sanders a 3rd last year, thats a moot point now.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Tougher question is where will he go in my Steelers homer draft tonight. I feel like someone will take him before he's even on my radar, but even in a homer draft with IDPs I cant see him going before the 14th and at that point Id probably take him.

Was able to grab him at 13.1 tonight (12 team, non-ppr, redraft). No one slips in this league more than a round, and no one stood out to me at that point, so I felt fine taking him at that point in a draft full of Steelers fans. I also know for sure that he wouldve gone at worst 12 picks after I took him, so that makes me feel better as well.Was still able to get Steve Smith (PHI) and Douglas after him, so I have no regrets on taking Brown. Hopefullys this play carries over to the regular season.

 

[Class Dismissed]

I love what Brown is doing, it is important to note that last year there was an open competition between Sanders and Brown. Sanders won that competition. In the Super Bowl it was reported that Arians had a game plan that had several plays specifically designed for Sanders that he had to shelve when Sanders went out. Which to me just shows the limitations of Bruce Arians. but also shows some separation from Brown on the depth chart.

But Brown flashes big time talent in key situations. Sanders very well could be wally pip.