UCA duo continuing workouts as draft looms

Since the Bears' football season ended, the University of Central Arkansas' Nathan Brown and Marquez Branson have been on different journeys with the same destination point a place in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Brown began in Orange County, Calif., and Branson headed to Phoenix, Ariz., where they each entered sports performance programs specifically designed for NFL hopefuls. From there, they each participated in the NFL Scouting Combine. Brown played in the Senior Bowl becoming the first player in UCA history to be selected for the nation's most prominent all-star game.

"It's been a very eye-opening experience," Brown said. "It's something I've been blessed to do and humbled to be a part of. I've had the opportunity to meet with a lot of NFL coaches, general managers and other personnel, along with a lot of college athletes pursuing the same thing I am. It's been a tough process, but one I'm definitely going to cherish the rest of my life."

Through their workouts, both have made seemingly good impressions on NFL scouts and coaches and hope to hear their names called on April 25 or 26. At the Combine, Branson was fifth among tight ends with a 4.71

40-yard dash time, and his 35-inch vertical was the third-highest total recorded by a tight end prospect trailing only James Casey from Rice and Jared Cook of South Carolina.

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"I've put in a lot of hard work the last couple of months on top of all the hard work we put in through the season, and I think I've really improved my stock," Branson said. "It's been tough but worth every minute of it because I'm pursuing my dream."

Brown recorded a 30.5-inch vertical and completed the 20-yard shuttle in 4.44 seconds. Pat White, the speedy West Virginia quarterback projected by many to be a better fit at wide receiver in the NFL, was timed at

4.42.

"The combine process is just out of this world," he said. "People tell you about it and try to explain it to you but once you get there and actually do it, it's an eye-opening experience. During my time there my emphasis was on throwing the ball and the interviews with the coaching staffs, and I did well and made the most of those opportunities."

Brown, who was clocked in the 4.9-second range in the 40, didn't prove to be the fastest, strongest or tallest quarterback at the combine but that's nothing that came as any surprise to himself or anybody who'd followed his career.

"The 40 times and agility drills and jumping, that's more for the defensive backs and wide receivers and guys like that as far as I'm concerned," he said. "And in those areas, I didn't have the absolute best marks, but I did well. I was above average in everything. I feel good about it and think nothing but positives came out of it."

Branson, at 6-foot-2, lacks the ideal height for a prototype NFL tight end. Even with his superior receiving skills and the ability to make explosive plays downfield, Branson's lack of size leads many to believe the 247-pounder could wind up as more of an H-back in the league.

"They had me doing stuff in different areas," he said. "I did some H-back work and some tight end work. I wanted to prove I am a versatile player and can excel at either one. I felt pretty comfortable with how I performed. Coming from a small school you're constantly having to prove yourself to the NFL teams that I can compete with the best of the best."

Overcoming the label of being a small-school wonder has been something Brown has also had to deal with throughout the process, including at the Senior Bowl where he was matched up with QBs from Alabama, Clemson, Texas Tech, West Virginia along with Sam Houston State's Rhett Bomar, hose career began at Oklahoma.

Brown, who was listed as the No. 3 quarterback on this team in the Senior Bowl, was the top passed completing 9 of 15 for 92 yards and a touchdown.

"There may be a little more size and speed on the defensive line and maybe some size at linebacker (in the higher-profile conference), but you face top-tier talent every week in the Southland. The biggest difference is the depth," Brown said.

He added, "And while it's an uphill climb to change that perception, really that's steeper with the draft experts and all that. With the NFL scouts and coaches, you still have a hill to climb, but it's not as much of one because if you can play football they're going to find you ... The NFL is probably the best of any of the pro leagues at finding talent, be it at Division III, Division I-A or all roads in between."

The NFL Network analysts frequently stated at the Senior Bowl that the North quarterbacks must learn to take a snap from under center if they hope to have a shot in the NFL, noting that Brown, Bomar and Harrell played in offenses where they were primarily in shotgun formations.

"I ran into one of the NFL Network guys the next day in the hotel lobby and said 'I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but you need to do some better research on the small-school guys.,'" Brown said. "Here at UCA we were probably more of a 55-45 type team under center to gun. It wasn't anything like being in the shotgun 80 percent of the time. I've taken plenty of snaps under center that's not an issue."

Brown's draft prospects are all over the board, according to various analysts.

"One thing I had to learn very early in this process is to not listen or read too much to what the media has to say," he said. "They're not going to give much love to a 6-1, small-school quarterback. It's been very humbling and something new to me. I've always been criticized by my coaches, but having that kind of media attention so much is not something I've experienced before. They're going to find something wrong with you. There's something wrong with every player in the league. You just have to let that stuff go over your head."

One aspect of crticism was Brown's sidearm release.

"It really depends on who you talk to," Brown said. "A lot of teams love the quick release, how I get the ball out fast. Others might tweak it a little. In the Senior Bowl and throughout my career here at UCA, it wasn't an issue. I didn't have an overwhelming amount of balls batted down, no more than any other QB. But it is something they're going to take a good, hard look at because I'm not a 6-4 guy throwing at a low angle."

Branson also have positive thoughts about his future.

"I feel confident in what I've done so far," he said. "Being at the combine, you see you can do just as much as guys from the big-time schools. On TV they look so big and they get put on a pedestal, but they're just like everybody else."

Brown added, "Any team that gives me the opportunity, I'm going to give them a quarterback with leadership skills, the ability to come in and play my role and I'm always going to learn and get better."

Both players will have their "Pro Days" at UCA on Wednesday.