Getty Images Arizona State linebacker Travion Brown will workout for the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Former Arizona State linebacker Travion Brown will work out at the Arizona Cardinals‘ local pro day, ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, league sources tell Heavy.
Brown, 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds transferred to Arizona State before the 2023 campaign and finished last season with a career-high 53 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup.
Before the 2023 season, Brown began his collegiate career at Washington State.
Pro Football Focus named Brown one of the premier linebackers available in the transfer portal, following the 2024 season.
“Brown’s 75.6 coverage grade over the past two seasons is a top-25 mark among Power Five linebackers.” Max Chadwick wrote for PFF. “The junior has allowed only 172 receiving yards in that span, the fifth fewest for Power Five linebackers.”
Developing a reputation for a strong nose for the football, Brown finished his five-year college career with 172 total tackles, to sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.
During Arizona State’s pro day, Brown posted an impressive 4.76-second 40-yard dash, put up 21 reps on the bench press, and logged a strong 7.25-second three-cone drill.
“I’m satisfied,” Brown told reporters following his workout in front of NFL coaches and scouts on campus. “I did the times I needed to do. I ran what I needed to run, and it’s here.”
Brown could be an intriguing addition to head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense, which will look to improve on finishing the 2023 season with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL.
Travion Brown’s Law Enforcement Aspirations
Projected to be a possible Day-three selection in this year’s draft, Brown has at least one eye trained on life after football.
Brown’s long-term aspirations are to pursue a career in law enforcement. He even brought his K9 officer along for support during Arizona State’s pro day on campus.
“That’s on pause, this is the one and only thing right now,” Brown told reporters during the Aztecs’ pro day. “Once everything is done, I have a connection with (the department). They’re like family, so I talk to them all the time and I was just at their house two days ago. We were talking about the process. That’s like another family away from my family in California. It’s been a blessing. That process will be simple. I’ll have guidance and will maneuver wherever I need to be after football.”
Cardinals to Load Up on Pass Rush in NFL Draft?
If there’s one area that the Cardinals’ defense needs to bolster during the draft, it’s the pass rush.
Even if Arizona targets an elite receiver such as Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., or LSU’s Malik Nabers with the No. 4 overall selection, the Cardinals could round back and get a playmaking defender with their second first-round pick at No. 27 overall.
That’s exactly what happened in a recent mock draft projection from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., with Penn State’s Chop Robinson emerging as Arizona’s second first-round pick.
“The 6-foot-3, 254-pound Robinson had an inconsistent 2023 season,” Kiper wrote. “But, I love his explosion off the ball and his closing speed after he makes a move. He pops on tape every time I watch Penn State from the past two seasons. … This is right around the range in which teams will take a chance on high-upside prospects, and that’s Robinson.”
Robinson spent his final two seasons at Penn State (after transferring from Maryland) and enters the NFL draft with 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 30 games.