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Bears feel good about undrafted free agent James Brown
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 29, 2012, 8:53 AM EDT

AP
Viewers of ESPN’s NFL draft coverage heard a lot about Troy offensive lineman James Brown on Saturday. Mel Kiper ranked Brown as the No. 54 player in the draft and spent much of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds calling him one of the best players still available. But NFL teams obviously disagreed, because even after 253 names were called, Brown remained undrafted.

If Kiper is right, the Bears got the best undrafted free agent available: They announced that they signed Brown after the draft.

Brown started 38 games at left tackle for Troy, but many observers of his performance at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine came away thinking he lacks the quickness to deal with NFL pass rushers and translates better to guard at the next level. He’s a project, but he’s a project that the Bears have to feel good about getting without having to spend a draft pick on him.....

Beith Kogans wrote:here's some other UDFA:

Position Name School
RB Alvester Alexander Wyoming
OT James Brown Troy
DT Ronnie Cameron Old Dominion
LB Adrien Cole Louisiana Tech
S Trevor Coston Maine
WR Terrium Crump Western Illinois
WR Brittan Golden West Texas A&M
OT A.J. Greene Auburn
S Jeremy Jones Wayne State
WR Chris Summers Liberty
LB Ronnie Thornton Southern Miss

After searching several sites, the best available according to them....

OT
SI, CBS – Massie
CFN – Brown
FG - Sanders

DT
SI, CBS – Ta’amu
....... etc

CFN wrote:Extremely versatile and productive, he can play any of four positions but will be first tried out at left tackle. Athletic, he moves well and shuffles fine, and he could be ready to do far more with the potential to bulk up at least 15 pounds. In the right system, and with a little work, he could be a dominant guard, but he could prove to be too valuable on the outside as long as he wants to do the little things to make it happen. While he’s good on the field, his workouts weren’t anything special and there might be a hard limit on what he can become talent-wise, but he’s coachable and he’ll do whatever is needed to find a spot. Can he be a killer? He’ll be a starter, but considering his lack of explosion he has to make up for it by ramping up the intensity.
CFN Projection: Third Round

"So, I called a scout I trust and asked him why the Bears and 31 other teams passed on Brown through seven rounds. He explained off-field issues that I won’t get into here because I can’t document it."

But they might just have a newcomer with a mid-round grade if James Brown, a rookie offensive lineman from Troy signed as a free agent, pans out. Two days into the rookie minicamp, he looks like he belongs.

"He has stood out in the drills," coach Lovie Smith said. "You notice him. He's slim, athletic, good size, smile on his face and he was a pretty good player in college. However (he went undrafted), we're just glad he's in our camp."

Brown got plenty of play during the draft, especially from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., who had him listed as his 54th best player. Kiper talked about Brown repeatedly during the later rounds but the 6-foot-4, 306-pounder never had his name called.

"I try not to think about it because before the draft, I knew things could go either way," Brown said. "I just wanted to get picked up no matter what."

Scouts from three organizations told the Tribune that marijuana was an issue for Brown and that led their teams to remove his name from their draft boards.

When asked if he wanted to address the matter, Brown said, "Could be something to that.

"I don't really want to address it. I don't have any knowledge of exactly what went on (with other teams)."

The bottom line is he is in position to compete for a job and there are examples of players who have been knocked for drug use in college and had remarkable professional careers.

So far, Brown has been used at left tackle and left guard. Smith said the Bears don't want to pin him into any specific position yet and it will be "fun" to see where he fits best. Brown started 38 games at left tackle in college but struggled a little with quickness on the edge at the Senior Bowl. Some scouts suggest he might be best on the interior.

"I feel like I have a great chance here," he said. "It's what I do with my opportunity now."

Brown had multiple free agent offers and said he chose the Bears because he was born in Chicago at St. Bernard Hospital. The Bears also didn't draft a lineman.

"That too," he said. "But I wanted to play for Chicago. This has been my favorite team since I was a little boy."