Despite character issues, Brown could be steal for 49ers

By Danny Dabiri  |   Thursday, May 31, 2007  |  Comments( 36 )

San Francisco 49ers
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The San Francisco 49ers signed fifth-round pick Tarell Brown this week, making him the third rookie to sign with the club in the last few days. The former Texas Longhorns cornerback has good size (5-foot-11) to match up with receivers in the NFL. Brown was very productive his last two seasons at Texas, and he was a key member of the 2005 team that won the national championship.

So why did Brown slide to Day 2 of the NFL draft?

It certainly was not because of his physical attributes and quality of play during his time at Texas.

You see, Brown falls into the category of players considered to have character issues. About a month before April's draft, Brown was arrested on marijuana charges. Talk about bad timing. He was riding in his cousin's car when they were pulled over because of an outstanding warrant on the vehicle. The car was subsequently impounded and searched, at which time the marijuana was found. Brown had been working out for NFL scouts the day before his arrest. He was charged with a class B misdemeanor, but his attorney insists that a drug test will exonerate Brown from any punishment.

Unfortunately for Brown, this was not the first time he has found himself in legal trouble. Last September, he was arrested when police stopped a car driven by former Longhorn teammate Aaron Harris. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the officer found Brown asleep in the back seat with a gun on his lap. Marijuana was discovered as well. The marijuana charges were dropped when a drug test came back negative, but the misdemeanor weapon charge is still pending.

The fact remains that despite his off-field issues, Brown has the ability to be solid player in this league. If he can smarten up and get his act together, he could potentially be one of the biggest steals of this year's draft.

With the guidance of veteran defensive backs Nate Clements, Walt Harris and Michael Lewis, Brown can learn a great deal about professionalism both on and off the field.

When Brown was asked if he was nervous about his first camp he said, "I just feel like my talent will speak for itself."

In today's NFL, on-field abilities can only take you so far. Brown is still a salvageable talent. If he can understand that his actions off the field will have a large impact on how he's viewed as a person and a player, Brown should be able to make the most out of his opportunity to play professional football.
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