Washington Football Team may have gotten the steal of the draft at the WR position

North Carolina Tarheels receiver Dyami Brownthegamehaus.com

Dyami Brown, a wide receiver out of the University of North Carolina, was drafted by the Washington Football Team at the 82nd overall pick in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night. Mel Kiper had projected Brown as an early second-round talent who could possibly sneak into the first round. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler compared him to Stefon Diggs, saying that Brown has similar size, speed and fluid adjustment skill, and adding that the former Tarheel receiver projects as “a starting-level NFL receiver with the big-play ability to rack up TDs”. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah compared Brown to his new teammate, Terry McLaurin.

Welcome to the District of Speed

The move gives the Football Team speed all over the field on offense. Dyami Brown, who ran a 4.44 40-time at his pro day is actually only the fourth-fastest offensive skill player, behind RB Antonio Gibson (4.39), and fellow receivers Terry McLaurin (4.35) and Curtis Samuel (4.31).

Another 3rd round gem

Brown continues the Football Team’s run of drafting good young offensive talent in the third round; Washington drafted Antonio Gibson out of Memphis last year, and Terry McLaurin out of Alabama in 2019.

During those two seasons – 2019 & 2020 – Dyami Brown was becoming a star at the University of North Carolina. In Chapel Hill, he had a relatively quiet freshman campaign before breaking out in his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2019, he caught 51 passes for 1,034 yards and 12 touchdowns. He followed that up with 55 catches for 1,099 yards and 8 TDs in 2020.

Putting stress on defenses

Brown is a deep threat, and he will help Scott Turner’s offense stretch NFL defenses. In the 2020 season with the Tarheels, Brown averaged 20.0 yards per catch. He has speed and the skills to make opposing DBs pay for a moment of hesitation or a half-step in the wrong direction. He also tracks the ball well in the air – a necessary skill for any deep ball receiving threat.

Brown isn’t the biggest receiver around, but at 6’1” and 185 pounds, he has a good release from the line of scrimmage, allowing him to win matchups against defenders. With Terry McLaurin as a teammate, Brown is sure to improve his ability to release at the line of scrimmage and execute well-run routes, as these are McLaurin’s greatest skills, aside from his reliable hands.

If Brown has a weakness, it is that he is an inconsistent catcher of the ball. Among Tarheel fans he has a reputation of making all the tough catches and winning on contested ball, but then letting easy catches go to the ground. Coach Ron Rivera stressed Brown’s ability to win contested balls as part of what caught the attention of the coach and the Washington scouts, saying at the post-draft interview on Friday, “Man, when he competed for [the ball], he went and got it!”

With gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball, Brown is likely to have plenty of chances to show off both his speed and his contested ball skills. Fitzpatrick is fearless when it comes to throwing deep or throwing into tight windows. With the plethora of offensive weapons at the quarterback’s disposas in 2021, Washington fans are likely to have a lot of fun watching the burgundy & gold offense push the ball down the field every week.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow