DONALD BROWN MAKING STRONG IMPRESSION ON NFL TEAMS

Patterning his approach to football and life after retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, University of Connecticut running back Donald Brown is preparing diligently for the NFL draft, according to Jim Corbett of USA Today. Brown, who rushed for a nation-high 2,083 yards last season, is regarded as a potential first-round or second-round draft pick. A New Jersey native who grew up rooting for the Giants, Brown met with Barber last month to discuss how to get ready for his " journey into professional football,” and to seek counsel on Brown launching a mentoring program geared toward New Jersey high school football players. “Right now, I’d say I’d characterize my game off of Tiki Barber’s,” said Brown, who ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. “He wasn’t the flashiest runner. But he could run inside or outside the tackles. “They also utilized Tiki as a wide receiver-type in the passing game. The way he conducted himself both on and off the field, Tiki’s a class act, a very articulate guy who has worked to create a pretty great career post-football.” Brown is drawing heavy praise from NFL teams and draft analysts, including Mike Mayock of NFL Network, after registering an eye-opening, 41 1/2 inch vertical leap at the combine in front of all 32 NFL teams at the combine. “I had Donald Brown as my second-best back coming into the combine, and I think Donald is a first-round pick,” Mayock said. “He’s legit. The combine just underscored what I saw on tape. He has really good, not elite, speed. He has great explosion. “He’s talented enough to play in any scheme. The one thing he’ll have to learn is patience. He hurries his blockers. But what he does have is tremendously nimble feet, and you see him running through tackles with his lower-body strength.” Added San Francisco 49ers General Manager Scot McCloughan: “Donald Brown is a good football player. That shows on tape, the production he had with the number of carries he got. The interview process was really good. Having a role model like Tiki Barber is great. That’s a quality guy and quality football player for Donald to follow.”