When rookie J.J. Nelson looks over at fellow wide receiver John Brown, it’s all the proof he needs that a small-school player who was constantly doubted can become a playmaker in the NFL.
Brown, a third-round pick out of Pittsburg State, burst onto the scene immediately last year, catching 48 passes for 696 yards and five scores, including four game-winning touchdowns in the first nine games.
“John Brown, coming in and producing the way he did, it opened up a lot of doors for a lot of small-school guys,” Nelson said.
Brown, though, does not see last season as the culmination of his journey, and may never arrive at that feeling.