MOBILE, Ala. - When Zach Brown was a youngster forming his own thoughts and opinions on which teams he’d like to root for in various sports, he was like any kid who naturally gravitated toward a winner.
As such, when Brown was around 10 years old, one NFL team stood out to him above all the rest: the Rams.
“The Greatest Show on Turf, I liked them with Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace, they were just lighting people up,” Brown said. “They were fun and they had a good defense too.”
At the time, Brown had no idea that someday his favorite team, along with 31 others would be watching him with a keen eye at the Senior Bowl with another eye toward the 2012 NFL Draft.
But here Brown is, considered amongst the best outside linebackers in the upcoming crop of players eligible for this year’s draft and he just so happens to play a position of need for his childhood favorite.
Brown says he’s pretty well in tune with which teams are in need of help at his position but the former North Carolina Tar Heel doesn’t want that to alter how he approaches the pre-draft process.
“I know what teams need ‘backers but you never know what might happen,” Brown said. “This is the NFL so you never know who might get drafted here or there. I’ll do what I have to do this week, in Indy and on my pro day and then see what happens.”
Whichever team ends up with Brown will be getting one of the draft’s premiere athletes. Nevermind the senior season in which he racked up 91 tackles, 11.5 of which were for a loss, six quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
What makes Brown stand out is his electrifying speed, the type of speed that made him a state champion in high school in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and the type of speed that allowed him to set a school record in Chapel Hill in the 60 meter dash when he ripped it off in 6.73 seconds for the Tar Heels’ indoor track team.
That speed has one scout estimating that Brown could run a 40-yard dash somewhere in the 4.4 second range, a speed that’s fast for a wide receiver or running back but blazing for a linebacker.
Brown said his ability to run fast translates well to the football field.
“It translates really well because once I know where I’m going, I can get there fast and not slip or fall,” Brown said. “If a running back is running sideline to sideline, I can take a lot of angles to catch him.”
At 6’2, 230 pounds, Brown isn’t the biggest linebacker in the draft and his size actually makes him a better scheme fit in a 4-3 defense, something few elite outside linebackers seem to be able to step into right away these days.
Brown’s athleticism is unquestioned but his ability to be physical and hit as well as his instincts are things that he’ll need to hone as he gets going in the league.
“I can tackle very well,” Brown said. “At times I might slip up and miss a tackle. But as coach always said, there’s no such thing as a bad tackle as long as you get them down. I can stop the run, strong at the point of attack. I feel like if you try to run my way, I’m going to stop it and blow it up if you come my way. I try to let it be known that you can’t run to the weakside.”
As for the possibility of playing for his favorite team, Brown certainly wouldn’t mind it. After all, he’s got a friend in last year’s first round pick and former Tar Heel 
“I see Rob,” Brown said. “He’s a cool guy. I talk to him and check up on him. He’s doing a little bit of everything. I’d love to go play with him again.”
THE FLASH: In the two or so months from the end of the college football season to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, NFL prospects pin many of their hopes on how fast they can run the 40-yard dash.
For running backs, receivers and defensive backs, those times are especially important. A time much slower than expected can hurt a prospect’s position while a much faster time can help.
As legend has it Florida State cornerback Deion Sanders once clocked the only sub 4.2 second 40-yard dash in combine history. But that has never been proved because times weren’t officially kept at that time.
Since, nobody has bested the 4.2 mark but there’s one player in this year’s draft who believes he can do it and might just have the track star speed necessary to make it happen.
Diminutive Florida running back Chris Rainey is widely regarded as a speed burner with the ability to change games. He’s training with Tom Shaw in Orlando with one goal in mind.
“My goal is a 4.1,” Rainey said. “You all be looking out for it. As soon as I run it, I am running out of the damn stadium. That’s my goal.”
FROM MLB TO NFL: Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden (see feature story) isn’t the only quarterback at this Senior Bowl who has made the transition from baseball to football.
Wisconsin signal caller Russell Wilson also has decided to devote himself to football full time though his choice is of much more recent vintage than Weeden.
Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 140th pick in the 2010 draft and played for the Asheville Tourists Class A team last year. But now he’s preparing to head to the NFL and is making the switch from second base to quarterback.
“It’s a little carry over there, you have to have a quick release, I think that’s part of my quick release,” Wilson said. “It is a little bit different obviously but I think the good thing about baseball to football and everything is my ability to have amnesia and just forget about things and focus on the task at hand at all times. I love football and I’m excited about the opportunities.”
Wilson said giving up baseball wasn’t a very tough choice because he’s believed all along that football is where he’s at his best.
“It wasn’t too difficult,” Wilson said. “I had been through the process of playing baseball. I thought about it, I couldn’t hit the curveball as well as I could throw the football so I had to focus on what is best for me and my family and right now that’s football.”
