Touchdown Brown: Undrafted DeAndre Brown Could Add to Chargers Receiving Core

DeAndre Brown was thought to be a mid-round pick this April, but was passed over by all 32 teams, including San Diego, and will become an undrafted free agent. He was at one time mentioned in the same conversation as Julio Jones and A.J. Green and he also had a pretty productive career at Southern Miss.

Brown is a 6'6", 235-pound physical beast of a receiver. Receivers as tall and solid as he is aren't as easy to find as many would think. Not only does he have great body size, he displays 4.6 40-yard dash speed on the football field and has hands like baseball gloves. A big body like Brown that has very large hands and decent speed presents a possible career in the NFL.

He does have his issues though. Some of his past coaches have called him immature and a diva who doesn't put in the effort that he should. He also doesn't display the want to run-block. These issues are minor compared to the concerns about his durability as he's been injured multiple times throughout his college career, including a gruesome broken left leg injury.

The Chargers love tall, speedy receivers (Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, etc.) and Brown fits that bill to a tee. It may be ironic that NFL scouts have compared him to Vincent Jackson, when he has a chance to be Jackson's fellow receiver with San Diego.

San Diego's wide receiving core could be depleted by the time next season comes. Jackson was franchise tagged, but it's uncertain whether or not it will be upheld by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Also, Jackson could turn out to be too expensive for San Diego's GM A.J. Smith's liking.

Floyd could also be leaving the team through free agency this offseason. He could be looking for the best paycheck available and the opportunity to be a No. 1 option in a team's offensive attack. Legedu Naanee was at one time considered questionable to return to the Chargers next season, but with him being arrested, it makes his return unlikely.

The Chargers will, however, have the veteran Patrick Crayton and the young Seyi Ajirotutu next season for sure. Both are talented football players and have both proved that they can be nice weapons for quarterback Philip Rivers to throw to. Not to mention, the Chargers selected Vincent Brown out of San Diego State in the third round in last month's draft.  

With Jackson, Floyd and Naanee's futures in San Diego up in the air, signing a wide receiver or two this offseason would be a smart thing to do.

Brown might not ever be anything special like that of a Randy Moss or Jerry Rice, but he would add depth and size to a San Diego receiving core that may be hurt due to free agents leaving. Plus, let's face it, Rivers could make Brown look like a cheaper version of the Pro Bowler Jackson at some time in his career.