MSU standout, NFL Draft hopeful Richie Brown ‘ready to play football’

Richie Brown can recall back in sixth grade telling his youth pastor he thought the NFL might be his future.

He had thought of himself more as a baseball player, but around that time he started to separate himself from his peers on the gridiron.

This weekend, the former Long Beach High tackle machine and Mississippi State standout could see his dream come true. The NFL Draft begins Thursday with the first round at 7 p.m. Rounds 2 and 3 will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, while Rounds 4-7 are set for an 11 a.m. start Saturday. The entire draft will be televised on ESPN and the NFL Network.

“I’d say I’m actually getting less nervous and less anxious as it gets closer,” Brown told the Sun Herald during a phone interview Monday. “I guess the wait of it is what’s most nerve-racking. Now that it’s kind of getting here, I’m excited. I’m just ready to play some football, know where I’m going to be and kind of start preparing.”

The leadup to the draft has been busy for Brown. Following the Egg Bowl win in Oxford — where Brown shared an emotional post-game moment with wife, Erin — and a strong performance in the St. Petersburg Bowl, Brown led his team in January’s East-West Shrine Game with six tackles and added two more tackles for loss. Since then, Brown trained at EXOS in Pensacola, Florida, in preparation for March’s Pro Day at Mississippi State. Brown turned in a 4.63 40-yard dash and reportedly had the 30 scouts on hand buzzing with his 37-inch vertical.

The event, which was essentially a job interview in spandex, went well enough. Brown could have done a few things better, but said he was satisfied overall with his performance.

“It’s pretty crazy. You literally spend 2-3 months practicing your 40 stance and your start, all for two reps,” said Brown, who was listed by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter as a pro day winner. “As far as the pro agility, L-drill, shuttle drill, you practice those things constantly to get one shot at it. It’s pretty nerve-racking, but you just have to calm down, get your best rep in and get a good time on the board and just be happy with it.”

NFL teams

Over the last couple of months, Brown said he has held personal workouts with four or five NFL teams and talked to at least 20 regarding his draft status.

Some draft prognostications have Brown going as high as the fourth round; others have him as a priority free agent.

“From talking with my agent we have a good idea of the teams most likely to draft me,” Brown said. “It could be as early as the fourth round or a priority free agent is always a possibility just because you never know how the draft will go and you could slip through it.

“Most teams we’ve talked to have a draftable grade on me, which is good news. Hopefully there will be some competition on me, which means I’ll be drafted earlier than later.”

Continuing to produce

Despite being a Parade All-American and one of Mississippi’s most prolific prep tacklers — recording 522 in three seasons — Brown had his doubters coming out of high school.

He seemed to have an edge about him at the time when asked about the contrarians. Even now, after 299 career tackles, along with 21 TFLs and five interceptions at MSU, questions arise about his ability to play at the next level.

Brown acknowledged that his detractors may have motivated him in the past, but he said he’d like to think he’s done some growing and maturing during his five years in Starkville.

One recent evaluation on NFL.com touted Brown’s leadership, speed, production and awareness, but knocked his strength.

“I can remember that back in high school after I had, whatever, 500-something tackles people were like, ‘oh, he can’t do that in college, it’s different, yadda-yadda-yadda.’ I’m used to it. I’ve heard it before,” Brown said when asked if he still plays with a chip on his shoulder. “If that was said, it doesn’t really get to me. I don’t care what other people think. I just play for my personal reasons, not, so to speak, to prove somebody wrong.

“I think there’s other inspiration that’s probably more inspiring than to prove somebody wrong. I’ve heard the talk before. It doesn’t really faze me much.”

So what does Brown play for? Why go through the grueling workouts, the dietary restrictions and the enormous time away from his family?

“Other people doubting is only temporary motivation,” Brown said. “First and foremost, I want to do whatever the Lord has given me to do. I want to go and continue on the path He leads me on until He closes the door for whatever reason that is.”

Brown later added: “I’m not always sure what He’s planning, but it’s definitely an environment where there are a lot of young and old people watching football players. Football players don’t always have the best rep for being good role models — some of them are and some of them aren’t — but I think it’s important and a good tool to use to spread the gospel.”

Brown expects to be back on the Coast this weekend for whenever his name is called. The Browns may host a crawfish boil and watch the draft. Or maybe he’ll go fishing. His draft day plans are up in the air, but Brown’s confident he’ll get a chance to live out his dream. He’s been proving doubters wrong for years.

Another Bearcat/Bulldog

Former Long Beach teammate Nick James, who went on to be Brown’s teammate at MSU, could also be selected during the NFL Draft.

In five seasons at MSU, James played in 46 games and made 15 starts. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive lineman finished his collegiate career with 62 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one blocked kick and a forced fumble.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 3:00 AM with the headline "MSU standout, NFL Draft hopeful Richie Brown ‘ready to play football’."