Here are five things to know about Northern Iowa offensive tackle Spencer Brown, selected by the Bills in the third round, 93rd overall, on Friday:
1. Small-town guy hits the big time. The 6-foot-8, 311-pound Brown is from Lenox, Iowa, which he said was a town of about 1,300. He said it's mostly a farming, blue-collar community. He grew up on a farm.
During his time at Northern Iowa, Brown played in 33 games and made 32 starts. Northern Iowa didn't play in 2020 because the Missouri Valley Conference canceled its schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He had a chance to transfer to other schools, "but loyalty is a big thing with me and I didn't want to turn my back on UNI."
In 2019, he started every game at right tackle and received Missouri Valley Conference honors. As a redshirt sophomore in '18, he played in 13 games, with 12 starts.
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2. All-Pro mentoring. After the Northern Iowa season was canceled, Brown was in California, where he trained with former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Staley.
“I went out there and started training with Joe on the field and off the field," Brown told the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette. "Working board work and schematics and lingo and things like that at his house. He just kind of blew the door off the hinges. I had a lot to learn. Now he’s a mentor.”
3. See-food diet. Brown added about 100 pounds while at Northern Iowa. He redshirted in 2016 while going through the process of gaining weight in his transition from tight end, which he played in high school, to offensive tackle. ... He additionally enhanced his draft stock by performing well at his pro day, with a 4.88-second run in the 40-yard dash, a 4.3-second pro agility time and 29 bench-press reps.
4. You want versatility? At Lenox High School, Brown led his eight-man football team to a district championship in 2015. He received first-team all-state as a senior and was also a first-team all-district selection selection on offense in '15 and a two-time first-team all-district selection for defense with 67 tackles, 17 sacks and four fumble recoveries. You want more versatility? Brown also played tight end as a senior, catching 24 passes for 388 yards and seven touchdowns. More versatility? Brown also lettered in basketball and baseball, earning first-team all-conference honors in both.
5. Scouting report. From Lance Zierlein, from NFL.com: "Towering tackle prospect with the hands, feet and length in place to become a quality pass protector on the next level. Despite playing right tackle his entire career at Northern Iowa, Brown has the athleticism to give it a go on the left side if a team desires. He's packed on weight and muscle over the years, but his performance at the Senior Bowl practices showed that there is still work to do in terms of improving his core strength to offset his high center of gravity. He can play in a variety of run schemes, but he will be at his best on the move, where his foot quickness will give him an advantage in finding the angles. Slippery athletes with good length will be trouble for him early and maybe beyond, but he's an above-average hand-fighter with a variety of pass sets he can utilize, which should help him as an eventual starter with early swing tackle value."
