Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown has informed Longhorns coach Charlie Strong that he intends to apply for early NFL draft eligibility, according to the Longhorn Network. Brown was a finalist for the Outland Trophy as college football's top lineman.
Brown (6-foot-2, 320 pounds) delivered 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks from an interior position. It was a strong enough season that, while Longhorns defensive end Cedric Reed was thought to be the team's top defensive prospect at the beginning of the season, it was Brown who by year's end was drawing more attention. He was named a consensus All-American and was seeking a first- or second-round draft grade as a threshhold for entering the draft as an underclassman.
It would appear he found it.
Brown played in all 39 games of his three-year Texas career, with 26 starts in a row over the last two. He capped his Longhorns career with an eight-tackle performance in a 31-7 loss to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl Dec. 29. He is one of only five defensive tackles to announce his intent to apply for early draft eligibility.
Underclassmen have until a Jan. 15 deadline to file notice with the league.
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