Tribal Warfare
11-28-2008, 11:52 PM
Will FSU defensive end Everette Brown stay or will he go? Talk surrounds Brown about entering NFL Draft
(http://nolesports.tallahassee.com/article/20081128/FSU03/811280338)
By Corey Clark
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
He says he hasn't thought about it. That he's been so focused on his junior season that he hasn't even contemplated whether he'll have a senior one.
But others have done it for him.
"It's brought to my attention all the time," said Florida State defensive end Everette Brown with a smile. "I get the fan mail and e-mails. Some of my teammates bring it to my attention, some of my family members. I just tell them, 'That's what it says on paper today. But it might say something totally different tomorrow.'"
Or it might not.
Almost all of the mock drafts that matter have Brown going in the first round of April's NFL Draft.
It seems like every week he has three or more sacks — and that's been three games out of the last five — his name continues to rise up the charts.
So much so that it would surprise no one if Saturday's game against Florida was his last one in Doak Campbell Stadium.
"When the time comes, the decision will be put on the table," said Brown, who will graduate in December with a degree in sociology. "As of right now, I'm just really focusing on the team and what's at stake. We have a great opportunity to finish strong here at the end of the season."
The transformation of the North Carolina native into a possible first-round NFL draft pick started his junior year of high school. After fancying himself a basketball star for most of his life, the 6-foot-4 Brown realized during his third year at Beddingfield High that his future was brighter in that other sport.
So the guy who once scored 32 points in a high school basketball game started focusing more on his football possibilities.
It was a good choice.
While recording 120 tackles and 16 sacks his last season at Beddingfield, he was recruited by many of the top programs in the country before signing with Florida State.
Though he showed immense potential almost immediately, Brown redshirted his first year on campus. Then he had productive — but not incredible — freshman and sophomore seasons for the Seminoles, totaling 9½ sacks combined his first two years.
Then came 2008.
Brown, who leads the nation in tackles-for-loss with 20½ and is second in the nation in sacks with 12½, has been practically unblockable all season.
Just ask his teammate, All-American guard candidate Rodney Hudson, who was moved to tackle for a short time in the spring and went up against Brown every day in practice.
"He's quick and strong," Hudson said. "He's not just a speed rusher. He'll beat you inside, too . . . and when you expect a bull rush, then he spins and you're like, 'Oh, where'd he go?' And he's gone."
Just ask another teammate, fellow defensive end Neefy Moffett, who studies Brown's moves every week on film and in practice.
"I feel he's the best defensive end in the country," Moffett said. "He's that mismatch on the field. Wherever he plays - whether he's on the end, I honestly believe he could go play a little corner — he just has everything you need in a football player."
Just ask his defensive coordinator, Mickey Andrews, who said Brown might be having one of the best seasons by a defensive end in the history of the program.
"He has a great burst," Andrews said. "He gets off the ball really well. He gets a good jump. Running a 4.5 (40-yard dash) doesn't hurt him. We have backs who don't do that — defensive backs . . . He got stronger this summer, really worked on his strength, and I think you see a more determined player right now than you did last year, too. That is a very strong compliment for him."
The former basketball player now bench-presses 500 pounds, which means he now has numerous ways to make an offensive lineman look silly. He can speed rush past them, he can bull-rush them into the quarterback, or he could use a lightning-quick spin move that leaves them blocking air.
"On the basketball court, I was a big spinner," Brown said. "I used to think I was Magic Johnson."
Saturday might be the last time Florida State fans see that magical spin move at Doak Campbell Stadium. But with his remarkable junior season, Everette Brown has already left a legacy in Tallahassee. No matter how many more games he plays for the Seminoles.
"When I arrived here, I wanted to be great," he said. "I looked at the guys, the consensus All-Americans on the wall in the locker room; I just looked at all the history that was around here. . .. In coming here, that was the same kind of success and impact that I wanted to have."
(http://nolesports.tallahassee.com/article/20081128/FSU03/811280338)
By Corey Clark
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
He says he hasn't thought about it. That he's been so focused on his junior season that he hasn't even contemplated whether he'll have a senior one.
But others have done it for him.
"It's brought to my attention all the time," said Florida State defensive end Everette Brown with a smile. "I get the fan mail and e-mails. Some of my teammates bring it to my attention, some of my family members. I just tell them, 'That's what it says on paper today. But it might say something totally different tomorrow.'"
Or it might not.
Almost all of the mock drafts that matter have Brown going in the first round of April's NFL Draft.
It seems like every week he has three or more sacks — and that's been three games out of the last five — his name continues to rise up the charts.
So much so that it would surprise no one if Saturday's game against Florida was his last one in Doak Campbell Stadium.
"When the time comes, the decision will be put on the table," said Brown, who will graduate in December with a degree in sociology. "As of right now, I'm just really focusing on the team and what's at stake. We have a great opportunity to finish strong here at the end of the season."
The transformation of the North Carolina native into a possible first-round NFL draft pick started his junior year of high school. After fancying himself a basketball star for most of his life, the 6-foot-4 Brown realized during his third year at Beddingfield High that his future was brighter in that other sport.
So the guy who once scored 32 points in a high school basketball game started focusing more on his football possibilities.
It was a good choice.
While recording 120 tackles and 16 sacks his last season at Beddingfield, he was recruited by many of the top programs in the country before signing with Florida State.
Though he showed immense potential almost immediately, Brown redshirted his first year on campus. Then he had productive — but not incredible — freshman and sophomore seasons for the Seminoles, totaling 9½ sacks combined his first two years.
Then came 2008.
Brown, who leads the nation in tackles-for-loss with 20½ and is second in the nation in sacks with 12½, has been practically unblockable all season.
Just ask his teammate, All-American guard candidate Rodney Hudson, who was moved to tackle for a short time in the spring and went up against Brown every day in practice.
"He's quick and strong," Hudson said. "He's not just a speed rusher. He'll beat you inside, too . . . and when you expect a bull rush, then he spins and you're like, 'Oh, where'd he go?' And he's gone."
Just ask another teammate, fellow defensive end Neefy Moffett, who studies Brown's moves every week on film and in practice.
"I feel he's the best defensive end in the country," Moffett said. "He's that mismatch on the field. Wherever he plays - whether he's on the end, I honestly believe he could go play a little corner — he just has everything you need in a football player."
Just ask his defensive coordinator, Mickey Andrews, who said Brown might be having one of the best seasons by a defensive end in the history of the program.
"He has a great burst," Andrews said. "He gets off the ball really well. He gets a good jump. Running a 4.5 (40-yard dash) doesn't hurt him. We have backs who don't do that — defensive backs . . . He got stronger this summer, really worked on his strength, and I think you see a more determined player right now than you did last year, too. That is a very strong compliment for him."
The former basketball player now bench-presses 500 pounds, which means he now has numerous ways to make an offensive lineman look silly. He can speed rush past them, he can bull-rush them into the quarterback, or he could use a lightning-quick spin move that leaves them blocking air.
"On the basketball court, I was a big spinner," Brown said. "I used to think I was Magic Johnson."
Saturday might be the last time Florida State fans see that magical spin move at Doak Campbell Stadium. But with his remarkable junior season, Everette Brown has already left a legacy in Tallahassee. No matter how many more games he plays for the Seminoles.
"When I arrived here, I wanted to be great," he said. "I looked at the guys, the consensus All-Americans on the wall in the locker room; I just looked at all the history that was around here. . .. In coming here, that was the same kind of success and impact that I wanted to have."