Jason Brownlee NFL Draft Profile
Jason Brownlee Scouting Report: Southern Miss, WR
2023 NFL Draft Measurements
40-Yard Dash: 4.55 (estimated)
6‘2“ / 202 lbs.
Jason Brownlee NFL Draft Profile
Jason started his journey towards the NFL draft at West Point High School in West Point, Mississippi. Playing on both sides of the ball, Brownlee helped lead the Green Wave to back-to-back Class 5A state championships. Even though he wasn’t highly recruited, Jason was named a Mississippi/Alabama All-Star, MAC Class 5A First Team All-State, as well as Clarion-Ledger First Team. On top of that, he made the Daily Journal Large School All-Area team and the WCBI All-EndZone First Team.
Brownlee would sign with East Mississippi Community College. You might recognize them from the Netflix show “Last Chance U”. Although, this was after the school’s appearance on the show. Jason would play two seasons at EMCC, and finally starting getting attention from FBS school during a solid sophomore season. He would lead all junior college players with 75 receptions (15 more than any other player), while finishing second in receiving yards (1,055) and touchdowns (12). After the season he would earn NJCAA All-Region 23 honors, as well as being named to the NJCAA All-America first-team.
Southern Mississippi
While getting offers from Louisiana-Monroe, UMass, Liberty, and even committing to Charlotte, Brownlee would eventually decide to stay in-state and signed with Southern Miss. He would play three seasons with the Golden Eagles (2020-2022), where he would lead the team in both receptions and yards each season. Brownlee was never able to put up huge numbers as an Eagle. This was primarily because of the constant cycle of quarterbacks.
In 2020, three different quarterbacks saw significant playing time. 2022 saw five different players throwing at least 15 passes. I say players because running back Frank Gore Jr. was one of them. If you think that’s something, the 2021 season was even crazier. Thanks to a rash of injuries, and poor play, 11 different Golden Eagles attempted at least one pass throughout the season. In fact, the final three games of the season Southern Miss would run their offense through the “Super Back”. So, what kind of talent has been kept hidden in Hattiesburg, Mississippi? Let’s find out.
Strengths
Reliable
There’s a reason that Brownlee was consistently the top targeted wide receiver for the Golden Eagles, regardless of who was throwing the ball. That’s because he was the most reliable option they had. Not only was Jason solid on basic catches, but he was able to use his long frame to box out smaller corners and go up for contested catches. One of the biggest reasons for his success on contested catches was his body control. The way that he was able to adjust himself in midair at times to get to off target throws was extremely impressive.
Fluid
Brownlee shows a solid release getting off the line, even against press coverage. Time and time again, he showed the ability to drop his hips and cut on a dime. He is smooth when changing direction and/or speed to change up the route. He has all the tools required to run any and every route in the route tree.
Weaknesses
Top-end Speed
Brownlee isn’t going to be the type of wide receiver that is going to pull away from defensive backs. He struggled with it in college, and I have no hopes that he’ll be able to do it against NFL caliber speed. That isn’t to say he’s slow. He’s estimated to be in the 4.55 range. Jason simply isn’t a burner that’s going to blow pass defenders. He’s going to have to use his length and route running to get open.
Limited Route Tree
I mentioned above that Brownlee has all the tools needed to route a complete route tree. The problem is that he just didn’t show it on tape. This is similar to top wide receiving prospect Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who hasn’t had his draft stock hurt too much by this fact. This could be blamed on the turnover within the coaching staff, or the number of quarterbacks used during his time with Southern Miss. But he was primarily just used on 9 routes. Would have loved to see him have the chance to show more versatility.
Jason Brownlee Draft Stock
Brownlee was an unknown name coming into the season. Again, given the turnover from the coaching staff and quarterback room during his time, it can’t be too surprising. Most sites, including NFL Mock Draft Database, project Jason as an undrafted free agent. Although he did start to turn some heads during his time at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl this past January. Thankfully for Brownlee, was also invited to the NFL Combine where he’ll get another chance to impress scouts and rise up draft boards.
Final Thoughts on Jason Brownlee
Personally, I couldn’t disagree more with all “experts” grading Brownlee as an UDFA. If he can put up the type of numbers that he did given the situation he played in at USM, I don’t see why he couldn’t do the same (if not better) with a stable situation. In my opinion, I think Brownlee has the potential to be a late Day 2 to early Day 3 (3rd-4th round) pick. Good length, fluid, and the potential to get even better with NFL coaching. There’s a lot to like here.
Jason Brownlee Player Comparison
Dovovan Peoples-Jones (WR, Cleveland Browns) – while Peoples-Jones might be a tad faster than Brownlee, they have a similar build. DPJ (as he’s called in Cleveland) was also a late round pick, due to questionable quarterback play limiting his on-field production. But during each of his three NFL seasons, his production has continued to increase as he’s developed. This past season he finished with 839 yards on 61 receptions, with 3 touchdowns.
Jason Brownlee Scouting Report – Brandon Claburn
