Kennedale LB Baron Browning ready to live NFL dream, realize can’t-miss potential
Baron Browning left Kennedale in 2017 as a can’t-miss five-star recruit.
He was the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and was ranked ninth in the country and third in the state by Rivals.
Browning admittedly didn’t have the career he hoped for at Ohio State due to injuries, coaching changes and position switches.
But four years later, he is preparing to embark on his NFL dreams just as expected with his No. 1 fan, his dad and former TCU defensive back Barry Browning Sr., still firmly in his corner.
“He weathered the storm and did what he needed to do,” Barry Sr. said. “He showed perseverance. I am very proud of him. A lot of kids get in their feelings and want to transfer. I commend him for weathering the storm. That is how life goes. I am proud of him. He persevered.”
And when the NFL Draft commences later this week — it starts Thursday night and runs through Saturday — Browning will hear his name called and an NFL-destiny realized, just as expected.
Browning has talked to quite a few teams and is projected to go somewhere between the second and third rounds.
And, yes, the linebacker-needy Dallas Cowboys have made contact, and staying home could be an option.
“Every future NFL player wants to play for their hometown team. My family would love that,” Browning said. “I didn’t have a favorite team growing up. I’m just excited. I am trying to stay calm. I feel like the closer it gets, the more my emotions will start to show. I have been doing a good job staying calm, controlling what I can control up until this point.”
What happened at Ohio State
Let the record state that Browning was far from a disappointment at Ohio State.
After notching just three starts his first two seasons, he became a regular starter as a junior and was an impact player on a 2020 team that won the Big 10 Title and finished as runner-up in the College Football Playoff national championship.
“Toward the end, I feel like I came into my own, but not at the beginning,” said Browning, who was third-team All-Big 10 in 2020. “I don’t think I had the career I wanted to have. I still had a pretty good career. I am looking forward to building off my last two years at Ohio State and continue to build off that in the NFL.”
Reasons abound for the slow start at Ohio State — from him being young and not as focused as he needed to be early on to having three different position coaches and four different defensive coordinators.
He was also used in a number of different positions and never got to hone in on one thing.
Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington bonded with Browning the past two seasons and has praised him for being versatile enough to play inside and outside, rush the passer and cover.
He also said Browning was a high-character guy and team player.
But the athletic profile that made him a highly-touted recruit still speaks to a potential that could see him making a bigger impact in the NFL than in college.
He gave scouts a glimpse with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl.
Senior Bowl executive director and former scout Jim Nagy said he could make a strong case for Browning having the highest ceiling of any outside linebacker in the draft.
Nagy called him a potential do-it-all linebacker who stood out as an edge setter, rusher and dropper in coverage.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Browning backed it up on his pro day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds. He recorded a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump.
NFL teams are looking at him as an edge rusher and outside linebacker.
“I showcased that I could do that at the Senior Bowl,” Browning said. “I feel like teams wondered if I could do it. That’s all I did in high school until I got to Ohio State and got moved to inside linebacker. Now, I am just trying to get back into the world and develop my skill set.”
He is also back to living the NFL dreams that eluded his father and brother Barry Jr., who played defensive back at Stanford from 2010-14, as expected when he was a five-star recruit.
And while everyone is still hoping for him to go in the first round on Thursday night, the projection of a Day 2 call on Friday suits the family just fine.
“It’s like the stars are lining up for April 30,” Barry Sr. said. “That is my father’s birthday. He passed when I was 16. That is going to be a special weekend with all this going on, and wishing that he was here. I would love for him to go on Day 1. But if he was to go on my dad’s birthday, it would be just like it was meant to be.”
