“Disruption is production” was a phrase coined by RotoWorld.com’s Josh Norris as a way to explain how players can still produce despite not having gaudy numbers.

This is especially prevalent for interior defensive linemen as a lot of what they do goes unnoticed in the box score. Whether it is taking on multiple blockers to give the linebackers free run at the ball carrier or getting pressure in a quarterback’s face, which causes an errant throw, defensive tackles can make a huge impact on a play without appearing on a stat sheet. Even if a defensive tackle has good stats, it doesn’t come close to explaining the type of impact they make on a game-to-game or play-to-play basis.

The player that best epitomizes this idea is none other than the Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Malcom Brown. If you look at the surface of Brown’s stat, you see a reasonable amount of production; he has 6.5 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries, 12.5 tackles for loss and 62 tackles. Nevertheless, these numbers don’t even come close to describing how well Brown has played and the type of impact he has made this year.

Brown has been a dominant player for an average Longhorns team. He plays mostly as the 3-technique defensive tackle, but he also moves outside to the 5-technique defensive end on occasion. He has the best player on the entire roster and it has led to him being a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy and a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy.

You may be wondering what about Brown allows him to make such a significant impact?

First, Brown has some of the strongest hands in college football. When he shoots his hands into an opposing player’s chest, it jolts the them and allows Brown to get off the block and make a play. Brown uses his hands to stand up blockers so that he can create separation and disengage off the block to go after the ball carrier. Brown is very adept at sorting through the trash in the interior of the offensive line as well.

Brown’s strong hands are showcased here:

Here, Brown is lined up as the 3-technique defensive tackle on the right side of the defensive line. As the ball is snapped, Brown fires out low and jolts the guard with his initial two-handed punch. The punch stands up the guard (stacks), which puts him in a vulnerable position. Brown uses his left arm, which is located near the inside armpit of the guard, as his leverage point to toss the guard to the side (shed). Brown then recomposes, gets low and makes the tackle for a short gain.

On this play, Brown showcased his immense strength, hand placement and shedding ability all on one play. It is very rare that you see a player throw an offensive guard to the side with ease like that; however, Brown does this type of thing on a regular basis. His ability to win at the point of attack is what makes him truly special.

While Brown’s main weapon of choice is his remarkable strength, he also brings deceptive quickness to the table as well. If an offensive lineman is prepared to counter Brown’s strength, he can counter that with a quick first step to beat the opposing lineman off the snap. While Brown doesn’t have the quickness to totally blow by offensive linemen like Aaron Donald did, he has exceptional quickness for a player who is 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds.

Brown’s deceptive quickness is on display here:

To begin, Brown is lined up as a 2- or 3-technique defensive tackle on the right side of the defensive line. As the ball is snapped, Brown quickly slants his rush inside and across the face of the tackle. Brown’s quickness causes the guard to react late, as he doesn’t get his hands on Brown until he’s already across his face and into the A-gap. Brown continues his momentum upfield from his initial quickness; this causes the running back to veer off his path and into the arms of other Texas defenders.

This was a perfect example of a play in which disruption equals production. Brown doesn’t record any type of stat on this play, but he was directly responsible for the tackle for loss by the defense. Without Brown’s penetration, the play wouldn’t have been nearly as good for the defense.

One of the underrated traits in Brown’s skill set is his ability to win in the hand-fighting battle. Brown gets lauded for his ability to lock onto an opposing lineman and win at the point of attack. However, his hand usage is sophisticated enough that he can fight the lineman’s hands well enough so that they can’t engage him.

Here is a great example of Brown winning the hand fighting on a particular play:

Brown is lined up as a defensive tackle shaded to the outside of the guard to the left of the defense. At the snap Brown closes the gap between him and the guard as the offensive line gets into their pass sets. Right when the guard tries to throw his initial punch, Brown uses his left arm to swipe the guard’s hands down, which gives Brown the opportunity to get past his outside shoulder. The offensive tackle notices this and tries to come and help; however, it is too late as Brown is already past the guard. Brown fights through the sandwich between the guard and tackle and lunges to sack the quarterback.

This type of hand usage showcases yet another way that Brown can beat opposing linemen to cause disruption. He can beat you at the point of attack with his extraordinary strength, he can blow pass you with his deceptive quickness or he can beat you with his hand usage.

The last impressive trait that Brown possesses is his ability to make opposing lineman pay anytime they aren’t disciplined with their technique. If a lineman isn’t balanced in their set or sloppy with their footwork or hands, Brown will make them pay. This is extremely important for the NFL because professional offensive linemen don’t make many mistakes, but when they eventually do you have to take full advantage of it.

This play demonstrated this ability very well:

Brown his once again at the 2- or 3-technique defensive tackle position on the right side of the defense. At the snap, the guard opposite lunges at Brown to try and engage Brown first; however, he doesn’t stay disciplined and he lunges too much which comprises his balance. Brown takes full advantage as he takes a quick side step and uses a swim move, which coupled with the guard’s forward momentum forces him to stumble to the ground. The play ends up going to the far sideline, but it showcases how brown can take advantage of poor technique from offensive linemen.

It is hard to pinpoint many weaknesses on Brown, but there are two in particular that stand out. First, he is too satisfied to battle at the point of attack at times. There are multiple players per game where brown can disengage to make a play, but he stays engaged at the point of attack instead. This comes because of Brown’s supreme confidence is his strength as he thinks he can use it to win on every play.

Another weakness for Brown is his lateral agility. Brown is quick and explosive in confined space, but any time he is on the outside and must run the arc or perform a stunt to the outside, he lumbers a little bit and you can tell he is a 320-pound defensive tackle. This is not out of the ordinary for someone his size, but it is one of the few things he can do as a defensive lineman.

At the moment, Brown is currently trending between No. 30-50 in most big boards. This is likely due to many pundits not catching on to Brown as of yet. He is playing on a mediocre Texas team; therefore, most evaluators or fans have their eyes elsewhere. Expect to see Brown rise a great deal as the draft process goes on.

Brown’s best fit in the NFL would be as a 3-technique, even though he has the versatility to play as a 0- or 1-technique as well. However, his size, quickness and hands make him an ideal candidate as a player whose responsibility to get upfield penetration through a single gap.

While Brown doesn’t have the hype of some of the other draft eligible defensive tackles such as Eddie Goldman or Michael Bennett, he is every bit as good and even better than both players. Brown is the full package as he produces against the run and pass.

If you subscribe to the idea of “disruption is production” then look no further then Malcom Brown.

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