By now, the Legend Of Bryce Brown is well known to you: A high school superstar rated on par with Trent Richardson, Brown was one of the most highly recruited players in the country coming out of Wichita, KS. He was also one of the most controversial, something that followed through an unsatisfying collegiate career at Tennessee and then Kansas State.
Instead of winning a National Championship and coming close to winning a Heisman Trophy -- a path that Richardson took on the way to becoming a first-round draft pick by Cleveland in April -- Brown bounced around and never got his career in gear. He started at Tennessee and played there for a season, and then sat out the 2010 season after transferring to Kansas State.
Last season at K-State, Brown had all of three carries (for 16 yards) in the season opener before suffering an ankle injury that KO'd him for the season. From there, well, where to turn?
The NFL draft came calling.
And so did the Eagles in Round 7, a humbling experience for Brown.
"Everybody's situation is different. This is definitely not the way I dreamed my college career would be," said Brown after signing his rookie contract. "I definitely didn't expect it. But, it is what it is. The past is behind me now. I'm looking forward to just moving forward and taking advantage of this opportunity that I have now."
The Eagles paid a lot of attention to Brown prior to the draft, sending running backs coach Ted Williams to Wichita to work Brown out in every phase of the game.
Williams has always had a strong eye for talent, as evidenced by the wealth of talent in the Eagles' backfield for most of the last two decades. He liked Brown enough to recommend him to Howie Roseman and the draft team.
"I enjoyed this place the most of all the places I went," said Brown, who made a pre-draft visit to the NovaCare Complex. "I loved Coach Williams, I loved Coach (Andy) Reid and just this whole organization."
Brown weighed in on Friday at 220 pounds on a frame that is between 6-feet and 6-1. He is sturdy and fresh after three seasons of relative inactivity. Now he has to learn everything about playing the running back position again at the highest level, and in a system that demands precision running pass routes and physical play blocking to protect the quarterback.
"I'm ready," said Brown. "Blocking is a 'want to,' and I want to pass block. I want to learn. I want to learn everything they have to teach me."
The Eagles don't have a set-in-stone rotation behind Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy, so Brown is going to get his chances along with first-year man Graig Cooper and rookie free agent Chris Polk. Someone, hopefully, will emerge to compete with Dion Lewis for the backup job.
"I know he (McCoy) is a great player, but I can't worry about anyone else," said Brown. "I have to play my best football to make it and play at the level I want to play in the NFL."
