AJ Brown's sixth season in the NFL was his most memorable. The All-Pro wide receiver delivered three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and was a key part of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl title run.
Before making the leap into the NFL, Brown finished with Ole Miss rebels and under 3,000 receiving yards while as a college football star.
Brown became one of the best players in his sport, but there was a time when he was thinking about another path.
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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown will speak to the media on May 2, 2020 at the Novacare Complex in Philadelphia. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The three-time Pro Bowler excelled in football and baseball at Starkville High, Mississippi. He also played at the 2015 Under Armour High School national baseball game.
Brown admitted he was wary of the pitchers' fierce throwing abilities competing in the game, which led to his decision to pursue football.
AJ Brown brings the Lombardi Trophy to young Eagles fans recovering in hospital after a Philadelphia plane crashes
“I'll talk about it when I decide to play football. I'm in the right field. I'm in the US game in Chicago. It was like 97 (mph) at first – was 97 from the lip? I'm usually facing like 85.”
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown will respond after a first half touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 15, 2024 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/MattSlocum)
“We're still in high school, so these are all high school players and these guys are probably going to go to the first round, and we see him throwing off-speed pitches.
Brown attracted interest from the MLB team, and the San Diego Padres drafted him in one of the following rounds in 2016. However, Brown went to college in his native Mississippi and chose to take part in the soccer route. Brown has won first-team All-Sec honors twice in his outstanding career with Ole Miss.
December 29, 2024 during a warm-up with the Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. (Eric Hartline/Imagn image)
Earlier this month, Padres area scout Stephen Moritz recalled brown scouting 10 years ago, recalling his elite athleticism.
“You're never sure,” Moritz told MLB.com. “As a scout, you're wrong more often than you're right. But I was as sure as I could. [that] He's going to be a good outfielder. He's going to be great in the outfield. I had too much athletic ability. He had natural abilities. You add all his tools together. That was one of the things I was pretty confident in. This guy would be a good outfielder in the big leagues. ”
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In 2020, Brown detailed how baseball helped shape him into the football player he is today.
“I'm going to catch the ball with my eyes,” Brown told ESPN. “Baseball really helped me with that for football. It really helped me a lot when I was tracking the ball, especially the deep ball. I played center field in baseball.
The Tennessee Titans selected Brown in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded him for the Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft.
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