NFL Draft Rumors: Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown's Stock Not Impacted by Injuries

The Oklahoma Sooners may be responsible for both the first quarterback and wide receiver taken off the board in the 2019 NFL draft despite Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown recovering from a January Lisfranc surgery. 

On Friday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Brown's foot injury has not affected his draft stock: 

"Usually when you have a receiver who has a major injury, didn't work out, usually that knocks him down. I haven't actually heard anyone knock Hollywood Brown down for this foot injury. The size is a little bit of a concern. Although, basically a slot receiver and those guys can certainly be a little smaller and a little shiftier.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he is the first receiver off the board. It is a very muddled group. There's no clear cut No. 1." 

The 5'9", 166-pound receiver played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Sooners last season. Brown caught 75 balls from Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Brown declared for the NFL draft on Jan. 2, following the Sooners' 45-34 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 29. 

The 21-year-old junior sustained his foot injury during the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 1 and chose to play through the pain in the semifinal against Alabama. However, he did not record a catch.

Overall in 2018, Brown averaged 17.6 yards per catch, which led to NFL Network's Brian Baldinger labeling him as a deep-ball threat:

While Brown couldn't participate in the NFL combine—though his combine re-check on April 10 was "excellent"—he did answer questions about his older cousin Antonio Brown—the 30-year-old All-Pro wide receiver that would be traded to the Oakland Raiders from the Pittsburgh Steelers weeks later. 

"He always motivates me," the younger Brown said, per Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com. "He tries to get me to keep up in my work ethic. Because he's a hard worker. Whatever he's doing, he wants me to do more than that. So, it's a lot."

However, it's a different NFL receiver that Brown drew comparisons to in Daniel Jeremiah's NFL.com top-50 prospects. Jeremiah ranked Brown at No. 16 overall, the first wide receiver listed, and gave insight into his upside:

"Brown is a DeSean Jackson clone. He has a similar build and the same explosive playmaking skills as the three-time Pro Bowler. He lines up outside and in the slot. He easily defeats press coverage with his quickness—and when corners elect to play off coverage, he eats up their cushion in a hurry. 

"He plays much bigger than his size down the field, attacking the football at the highest point. He is dynamic after the catch. Overall, Brown might lack ideal size, but he's a polished receiver and a threat to score from anywhere on the field."

According to Marcus Mosher of USA Today's Raiders Wire, Oakland at least exploring the option of pairing up Brown to pair with his older cousin "just makes too much sense for it not to happen." The Raiders have three first-round selections at No. 4, No. 24 and No. 27 overall. 

The 2019 NFL draft will get underway on Thursday, April 25, at 8 p.m. EST from Nashville.