NFL
By: Greg Rector
Brother acts have been commonplace in the NFL including twin brothers like the McCourty brothers and Ronde and Tiki Barber. This year we have another twin brother act coming to the NFL. Chase and Sydney Brown both played for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Chase is a running back while Sydney plays safety. I have had a special interest in this pair since they were born in London, Ontario Canada. Since I also live in Canada, I always keep my eye on Canadian players who may have the opportunity to shine in the NFL. There are currently 21 Canadian-born players on NFL rosters. So the Brown twins will mostly get compared to the Barber twins in some people’s minds. There would be nothing better than seeing both contribute the way Tiki and Ronde were able to for their NFL teams.
Chase Brown
The Illini running back was third in the nation in rushing in 2022, compiling 1,643 yards rushing. That right there is enough to garner attention. Brown for two seasons has been a capable running back who can best be a threat when he is allowed to get outside of the box. He’s not a people mover back instead think of what Tony Pollard does when he gets outside. Explosive speed (former track star in high school) Brown can hit home runs (10 TDs) but will need to be paired with a power back who will do the dirty work and be the short yardage back.
Brown’s speed and vision are both high-end qualities. He will make people miss him in the open field. The other area of growth for Brown in 2022 was his ability to catch out of the backfield. He doubled his reception total and was pretty effective as a receiver, always a sought-after commodity in the NFL. Versatility is desired in so many positions now. For me, I have Chase being drafted anywhere in the 3rd round or later. In the right NFL system, he could thrive as a two-down back and if he learns to run better between the tackles, along with his body physically maturing he could get to the 3 down back category eventually. He may also be used on special teams as a returner and could change field position very quickly.
Sydney Brown
Remember how I said versatility is sought after? Sydney Brown personified that for the Fighting Illini. He has been put into the role of linebacker at times and has worked in the slot, and in deep field coverage. Like his brother the one thing that jumps out at you is his explosiveness. His first steps going downhill as a run-stopper or even dropping back into coverage. Now some will be less than enthused with his height of 5’10” but he plays far rangier than his size first indicates. Brown will need to improve as a tackler though as he has been made to look a bit foolish at times, that happens to everyone though. he tracks the ball very well and his hands are active without being a problem. His instincts are solid evidenced by his 6 interceptions and 7 passes defended.
If drafted by a team that will utilize his versatility, Sydney Brown could be anything from a very good special team player to a reliable three-down defender. With the right coaching, he could improve his tackling. Now given positional values and all the other factors that go into drafting players I think Sydney has an opportunity to be drafted before Chase (yes I get the whole anti-RB crowd), he may be taken in the late second round, but most certainly he would be a 3rd round pick in my mind at worst.
The Outlook
Much like the Barber brothers Chase will have a shorter career given his position, much like Tiki Barber. Sydney will have the chance to play for quite some time. Chase Brown if he goes to the right team could quite easily be a bright star, while Sydney will be the quieter more consistent factor. At least for a few years, the Canadian content in the NFL will include these brothers.
