Earnest Brown IV (born January 8, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.[2] He played college football at Northwestern.
| No. 74 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | January 8, 1999 Aubrey, Texas, U.S. | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||
| Weight: | 300[1] lb (136 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Billy Ryan (Denton, Texas) | ||
| College: | Northwestern (2017–2020) | ||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / Round: 5 / Pick: 174 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
College career
Brown was ranked as a four–star recruit by 247Sports.com coming out of high school.[3] He committed to Northwestern on March 22, 2016.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 270 lb (122 kg) | 34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 5.01 s | 1.75 s | 2.98 s | 4.50 s | 7.19 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 25 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Rams
Brown was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the 174th pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft on May 1, 2021.[7] On May 16, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract with Los Angeles. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[8] Brown won Super Bowl LVI when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.[9]
On February 15, 2022, Brown signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams.[10] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[11][12] He was promoted to the active roster on December 24.
Brown was released on January 8, 2024 and re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired.[15]
San Francisco 49ers
On February 15, 2024, Brown signed with the San Francisco 49ers.[16] He was waived on May 14.[17]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On May 22, 2024, Brown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[18]