Why Cam Brown is such a unique player for the NY Giants
By David Solow
1. Length:
According to the Draft Network, length is Brown’s best trait. He measured in at 6’5″ at the combine with 34-inch arms. For his position, that puts him in the 97th percentile for height and 95th percentile for arm length.
How does being long help on the football field? Cam Brown can disrupt throwing lanes over the middle and make life difficult for quarterbacks. He got credit for eleven pass breakups while at Penn State. It should help him when covering the taller tight ends and slot receivers in man-to-man or zone.
Isaiah Simmons, a player with similar length and elite athleticism, started using his long arms to his advantage more and more during his time at Clemson. As Cam Brown continues to develop, his height and long arms will increasingly become a factor. When asked how his length could help the NY Giants after the draft, Brown explained it in his way.
“When you’re 6-5 on the second level, and the quarterback is trying to throw a dig, it’s kind of hard when you’ve got to clear about seven to eight feet of height and length in the arms,” Brown said. “For me, it’s been getting into windows, it helps with the range. Even when you’re driving through tackles that length allows you to get a little bit further than most.”
Cam Brown from Penn State is bit of a project but his length is intriguing. I think he'll provide a team some versatility and depth at LB and off the edge. He'll need to get stronger and work his hands more when fighting off blocks. Here he does a nice job forcing RB back inside. pic.twitter.com/CSLPRbsrzV
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) March 22, 2020
Not only will Brown’s long arms help him when diving for tackles, but they should help keep blockers off of him as well. This is something Isaiah Simmons perfected in 2019 when he transitioned from safety to linebacker. Brown can use his length to compensate for a lack of play-strength at this point in his career.