A.J. Brown Sees Validation in Pro Bowl Selection

Titans wide receiver believes he should have been drafted before the second round.

A.J. Brown wants his Pro Bowl selection to send a message to every NFL team that allowed him to fall to the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

“I think about that all the time to be honest,” Brown said. “We sit here and talk about stuff like that [teams passing on him]. And I have definitely thought about it a lot.”

Monday, Brown one of two Titans named Pro Bowlers this season. The second-year Tennessee Titans wide receiver took to social media to explain his emotions after he received the news.

“This is the night everyone passed on me,” Brown wrote on Twitter, along with the picture from the opening night of the 2019 NFL Draft. “Very humbling moment. Pro Bowl in year two.”

The Titans selected Brown 51st overall last year. He was the fourth wide receiver chosen overall, and 27 of the NFL’s other franchises had at least one chance to pick him. Even the Titans passed on him once when they selected defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in the first round.

Brown has a career-high 10 touchdown catches. That puts him one behind Drew Bennett for the most by a player during the Titans era (1999-present) He also has at least one touchdown reception in nine of his 12 appearances on the season (he missed two games early with a knee injury).

Combined with his eight touchdown receptions as a rookie, he is now the fourth player in franchise history with at least eight in back-to-back seasons.

“A.J. (Brown) consistently makes big plays for us,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said.

Brown’s reliability as a primary target for Tannehill created a crucial synergy for the Titans’ offense all season. He now has three 100-yard receiving games in the season (vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Chicago, at Jacksonville).

He has become the third player in franchise history to eclipse 1,500 career receiving yards before his 24th birthday.

“(Tannehill) holds me accountable. And doesn’t let anything slide,” he said. “He is a leader to everyone, and most definitely me.”

The Pro Bowl selection, for Brown, comes as a form of validation for the work he has put into this season. And though his team may have its eyes on a Super Bowl this year, he wants the others to look at him and think they made a mistake.

“In this league, the only people you want validation from are your teammates and the people across from you,” Brown said. “To be voted in means a lot. And I’m blessed to be voted in so it means a lot.”