Canadian running back Chase Brown was the star of his position group at the 2023 NFL Combine.
The five-foot-nine, 209-pound native of London, Ont. led all running backs with a stunning 40-inch vertical and 10-foot, seven-inch broad jump during testing on Sunday. He later clocked the fifth-fastest forty-yard dash at 4.43 seconds, with a 1.53-second ten-yard split. On Monday morning, he put up 25 reps on the bench press — also leading all running backs.
Brown took home the Jon Cornish Trophy as Canada’s top NCAA player following a sensational 2022 season for the University of Illinois. He carried the ball 328 times for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while adding 27 receptions for 240 yards and three more scores through the air. A consensus second-team All-American, he finished fourth in the nation in rushing yards and was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back.
After transferring to Illinois from Western Michigan as a sophomore, Brown finished his college career having rushed for 3,558 yards and 18 touchdowns on 676 carries over 47 games. He was recently named one of the practice Players of the Week at the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl all-star game.
On Friday, Brown’s identical twin brother, Illinois safety Sydney Brown, blew up the defensive back drills. Chase fell just short of his sibling’s marks of 40.5 inches in the vertical and 10 feet, 10 inches in the broad, but bested his time of 4.47 seconds in the forty.
Brown is the number one ranked prospect in the 2023 CFL Draft but is expected to be selected highly in this year’s NFL Draft. He is currently projected as a fourth-round pick and could jump into Day 2 following his astounding athletic performance.
