Pats Draft Pick: ‘You’re About to Get the Best Player You’ve Ever Drafted’
Photo via AP
The New England Patriots selected a real, live, breathing human in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night–rather than trading their 32nd overall pick for a fourth in 2019, a sixth in 2024, and a bag of Sun Chips in 2038–for the first time in what feels like forever. Malcom Brown, a defensive tackle/quarterback-seeking missile from the University of Texas, will add some much-needed muscle to the defensive line.
Brown has some sizable cleats to fill, replacing 11-year veteran and fan-favorite Vince Wilfork, who signed with Houston Texans earlier this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 320 lb., first-team All-American seemed undaunted by the high expectations, however, telling reporters on a conference call: “You guys drafted me, so you’re about to get the best player you’ve ever drafted, so just be ready for when I touch the field.”
It’s hard not to admire that sort of braggadocio. “I’m just relentless,” Brown continued. “I want to be the best there can be and the best I can be, so I’m going to do that when I get there. You’re going to get my all out of me. I’m going to leave it all out there on the field.”
“Based on the players that were on the board, we felt like he was the best player for us,” coach Bill Belichick said. “A combination of his talent, work ethic, production, skill set relative to what we’re looking for, we felt like he was the best for us.”
Brown, 21, is married with two young daughters, which he said was a factor in his decision to leave Texas and attend the NFL Combine in February. The most pressing question facing Brown’s future with the team is not his transition into defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s system, or even his ability to power through double-teams. If Brown is truly going to replace Wilfork, we need to see what this man can do to a turkey leg.
