KC Chiefs 2021 Draft: Best interior o-line prospects to protect Patrick Mahomes

Deonte Brown, G, Alabama

Deonte Brown has some maturing to do as an offensive lineman, but might be worth the gamble. Brown is physically imposing at 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds. Brown has upside and could be a value pick in the middle rounds of the 2021 NFL draft, but the team that drafts the Alabama guard needs to have a clear plan for his usage and development.

Brown is powerful at the point of contact and has a strong punch that got the best of most college defenders. He also has a well-developed sense of when to be aggressive and when to be patient, and that stands out in his game. Overall, Deonte Brown can move adequately in space but has moments where he undercuts his angles or fails to fully engage on a block. Teams should use Brown to seal edges more than lead block when asking him to pull across the formation.

While Brown has a solid frame, there may be concerns about how much of his weight is good weight (muscle) vs just weight. Deonte Brown looks comfortable in pass protection and shows good foot speed. Run blocking is a plus, but Brown is guilty of lunging and losing balance at times. There are too many plays when #65 is watching at the end of the whistle, so I have some questions about effort and motor.

Overall, Brown has the physical tools and flashes the processing ability to be a starting caliber guard in the NFL. There is potential for Brown to develop into one of the better lineman in the league, but questions about overall athleticism and effort will have to be answered and a team will need to use Brown utilizing his strengths and masking his deficiencies.

Brown is currently considered a mid round prospect, but I would wait until the 3rd or 4th round to roll the dice. Coming from a downhill power scheme, Brown is not the prototypical Andy Reid offensive lineman, but projects similarly to Kelechi Osemele and could be utilized by the Chiefs in similar fashion.