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Saints OL Mike Brown speaks on his incredible story that led to NFL opportunity

By Michael Balko

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Offensive lineman Michael Brown #57 of the West Virginia Mountaineers blocks during the second half of the college football game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Offensive lineman Michael Brown #57 of the West Virginia Mountaineers blocks during the second half of the college football game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Michael Balko had the opportunity to host new Saints offensive lineman Mike Brown, a 6-foot-3 348-pound offensive guard, on his podcast The Michael Balko Show and helped pick the brain of the Saints’ newest player.

Mike Brown, a native of Compton, California, didn’t begin playing football until after he graduated high school, but that didn’t stop him from chasing his dream of playing Division 1 football.

Mike Brown went on a mission trip after high school and on that trip, he explained, he got his body right to begin trying to play somewhere at the collegiate level. Mike’s brother, Joe, was an offensive lineman for West Virginia back in 2018, and he helped Mike transition to playing football at a high level.

The Saints recently agreed to terms with a variety of undrafted free agents, but none may have a better story than that of West Virginia’s Mike Brown.

Obviously, there were no division 1 programs willing to take a chance on Brown without him having any prior football experience, but he found an opportunity to showcase his talents for two seasons at Eastern Arizona Community College.

While at Eastern Arizona, Brown anchored an offensive line that ranked No. 1 nationally in rushing yards twice, earned a spot on the 2017 All-WSFL First Team Offense, and earned a spot on the 2017 All-ACCAC First Team Offense.

Brown finally got his opportunity to play at the next level as West Virginia sent him an offer that would allow him to play for the same team as his brother, who helped mentor him to the point at which he’s at today.

Brown would red-shirt his first year at West Virginia but played in four games including a season-high 12 snaps against Oklahoma.

In 2019, Mike Brown balled out for the West Virginia Mountaineers as he earned a spot on the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team, didn’t allow a single sack in ten games played, and saw action in over 523 snaps played.

Brown had quickly established himself as a solid plug on the offensive line for West Virginia with just one season left to play.

Brown told Balko that he viewed his time at West Virginia as a lesson because he was new to the sport of football and the program did a lot in terms of helping him tap into his raw potential. Brown is of Samoan descent, which he claimed made him naturally big and helped give him an advantage as he was transitioning to play college football at a high level.

Brown wasn’t drafted by any teams during the 2021 NFL Draft, but he was in contact with a couple of teams including the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks throughout the process. Brown claimed that he wasn’t upset by going undrafted but he “knows he can do the same things as the guys being drafted ahead of (him) but quicker and better.”

Brown understands the business side of the NFL and can understand that his mere five years of football experience was the main reason why he wasn’t drafted.

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Mike Brown is the definition of a diamond in the rough, and his relatable personality surely makes him a player to root for when the roster cuts come along later this summer.

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