With the 2021 NFL Draft nearing, Texas A&M defensive lineman Bobby Brown III is confident in his abilities.
Brown’s confidence is apparent in his performance on the field as he was named to the All-SEC First Team in 2020 for a season with 22 total tackles and 5.5 sacks.
“Honestly, I think I’m the best defensive tackle in this draft,” Brown said. “I feel like I can play anywhere across the D-line. Anything that’s asked of me or required, I can do it.”
Throughout his three years with the Aggies, Brown showed significant improvement every season. In 13 games in 2019, he posted one less tackle than in the shortened 2020 season and five less sacks.
Although he did not play in the Orange Bowl in order to focus on the draft, his improvements, notably in rushing the pass, were large contributions to the Aggies’ successful season. Brown said his love of the game is a motivation for the work he puts in.
“If I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be playing football,” Brown said. “I’ve been working for this day for 17 years. I’ve been playing contact football since I was 3, so I had to put everything I had into it.”
Beyond the blood, sweat and tears Brown puts into his game, the pay still has an importance to him. Not out of any greed or desire for fame — Brown simply wants to provide for his mother, Erica Kelly, who was in a serious accident in 2018 during his first year with A&M.
“This is a way I can help my mother, so this is the route I’m on,” Brown said.
Brown’s mother prepared him for anything that college coaches or competition could throw his way. His biggest critic but also his biggest supporter, Brown’s mother has helped to mold undoubted NFL talent.
“If you draft me, you’re going to get a dog,’” Brown said he has told coaches in the past. “You’re going to get somebody that’s going to work every day, and you’re going to get somebody who [doesn’t] care who is lining up in front of him.”
More than just the pure talent Bobby has displayed on the field, he is unique in his capabilities. At A&M’s Pro Day on March 30, Brown, weighing in at 321 pounds, ran a 4.98 second 40-yard dash.
“Bobby is big, strong, fast, athletic [and] powerful,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “For a guy to be that quick and have that much power and size, it’s very rare. God doesn’t make a lot of people like that. He’s got a chance to have a really good future.”
The NFL Draft will take place from April 29 to May 1. Brown, projected by many to be drafted in a range from the third round to the sixth round, said he will give any team that will take him his all.
“I’m cool with joining any team,” Brown said. “Any team that’s willing to bet on me and draft me, that’s the team I’m going to.”