Getty Former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
Speaking to the media on April 19, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach says the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are “lucky” to have added wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this offseason.
“Like every year, whether it’s free agency or the draft, if there’s an opportunity to add a playmaker for Pat (Mahomes), we’re always going to be looking for those options. (We) played it out so to speak at some other positions,” Veach explained during his press conference. “I think we were lucky that Hollywood’s situation played out the way it did. I think he’s going to be a great one-year addition for us and he’s going to set himself up nicely moving forward.”
Veach also expressed optimism for how the first portion of the offseason played out for Kansas City.
“I think we’re excited and like I said, every year is different and unique. I think with the resources we had available, we maximized what we can do this offseason.”
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Praises Hollywood Brown’s Versatility
Because of his size (5-foot-9, 180 pounds) and speed (4.27 40-yard dash at 2019 Pro Day), oftentimes Brown is incorrectly labeled as just a deep-threat receiver. But he is much more than that, which Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained on April 19.
“Hollywood Brown is a good speed receiver, he can play inside or outside and I stay away from saying a deep threat although he can do that, he can play within the offense and do all of the different routes that we asked. He’s a nice addition and he has some experience and production,” Reid said during his press conference.
According to Matt Harmon of Reception Perception, the routes Brown had the highest success rate with during the 2023 season among the ones he ran the most were out routes (88.9%), post routes (81.5%), dig routes (79.5%), and curl routes (78%).
Kansas City’s offense struggled to consistently make plays downfield during the 2023 season. That is in part because base defenses in the NFL have changed to try and eliminate deep plays. But the Chiefs also struggled to take advantage of the plays they had available to them downfield.
Reid and Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy Brown should be able to scheme up ways to get Brown open regularly in the intermediate and deep portions of the field, which will help unlock another layer of Kansas City’s offense. That will be a much-needed addition, especially now that Rashee Rice‘s NFL future is in jeopardy.
Brett Veach Says 2024 WR Class is Deep
When asked to give his evaluation of this year’s WR draft class, Veach spoke highly of the prospects.
“I think it’s one of the deeper [receiver] classes,” Veach said. “I think the good thing about the wide receiver position – this is typically every year – is they provide depth really one-five and there’s always pockets of players – I think there is a large group of receivers in the first 50 picks that we have great grades on. Then I think there’s another pocket right behind that, I think that is a positive.”
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25 to April 27 in Detroit, Michigan, and will be available to watch on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.