Zach Brown

Zachary Vinzale Brown (born October 23, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).

In track, he captured the state class 3-A title in the 100 meters, with a time of 10.67 seconds, becoming one of a few athletes (Andre Martin 1992 100m & 200m; Matt Holthaus 1990 800m, 1600m & 3200m) in school history to win a state title in track.

In the 200 meters, his best time was 21.52 seconds.

Brown graduated from Wilde Lake in 2007.

Brown also ran track and field for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he recorded a personal best time of 6.72 seconds in the 60 meters.

He also competed in the 200 meters, posting a best season time of 21.75 seconds.

Also known because of his unusual size (6 ft 2 in and 248 lb) and speed for a linebacker, Brown recorded a time of 4.28 seconds time in the 40-yard dash while he was at North Carolina.

Brown was also an accomplished High School wrestler, finishing his senior season with state, region and county championships in the 215 lb weight class.

He was undefeated in his senior year with a record of 25–0.

Brown finished his junior year with a record of 30–1 as a state runner-up and county and region champion, with his lone loss coming to two time state champion John Holloway of Magruder High School.

As a freshman, Brown was a county runner-up in the 171 lb weight class and took third in his region.

He did not place in the state tournament, finishing his freshman year with a record of 23–6.

Brown graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011.

Brown spent his freshman year as a reserve linebacker and contributed on special teams.

Next year, Brown started six games at weak-side linebacker and also competed on the University of North Carolina track team.

As a junior, Brown placed second on the team in tackles and was captain of the special teams unit despite only starting five games.

Zach Brown tallied 105 tackles (13.5 tackles for a loss), 3 interceptions, and 5.5 sacks in his senior year.

Brown attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and bench press.

He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

He has also played for the Buffalo Bills, where he made the Pro Bowl, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Arizona Cardinals.

Brown was a standout football, wrestling and track athlete at Columbia (MD) Wilde Lake High School.

On March 19, 2012, Brown participated at North Carolina’s pro day and performed all of the combine drills except for the broad jump.

Brown performed a private workout for the Baltimore Ravens and attended a pre-draft visit with the Detroit Lions.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Brown was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

He was ranked as the sixth best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com, was ranked the sixth best linebacker by NFL analyst Gil Brandt, and was ranked the ninth best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Mike Mayock.

The Tennessee Titans drafted Brown in the second round (52nd overall) in the 2012 NFL draft.

Brown was the eighth linebacker drafted 2012.

On May 12, 2012, the Tennessee Titans signed Brown to a four-year, $3.85 million contract that includes $1.81 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.24 million.

Throughout training camp, Brown competed against Will Witherspoon to be the starting weakside linebacker.

Head coach Mike Munchak named Brown the backup weakside linebacker, behind Will Witherspoon, to begin the regular season.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Tennessee Titans’ season-opener against the New England Patriots and made three combined tackles during their 34–13 loss.

The following week, Brown earned his first career start after Will Witherspoon was moved to middle linebacker after Colin McCarthy injured his ankle and was sidelined for three games (Weeks 2–4).

Brown finished the Titans’ 38–10 loss at the San Diego Chargers with ten combined tackles (six solo) and also recorded his first career sack.

Brown sacked Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers for a five-yard loss during the second quarter.

On November 11, 2012, Brown recorded four solo tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 37–3 victory at the Miami Dolphins in Week 10.

Brown intercepted a pass by Dolphins’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill, that was intended for wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, and returned it for a 47-yard gain during the fourth quarter before being tackled by Tannehill.

In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) during a 24–19 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On December 30, 2012, Brown made four combined tackles, three pass deflections, one sack, and returned two interceptions by Chad Henne for two touchdowns during a 38–20 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17.

Brown intercepted a pass by Henne, that was intended for tight end Marcedes Lewis, and returned it 79–yards for his first career touchdown during the second quarter.

During the third quarter, he intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Toney Clemons and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown.