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The Kansas City Chiefs may no longer have a first-round selection when the 2021 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 29, but they do have a new starting left tackle.
On Monday, Kansas City officially announced the addition of Orlando Brown Jr. from the Baltimore Ravens after the 6-foot-8, 345-pound Pro Bowler passed his physical. The blockbuster trade between the two AFC foes was first reported on Friday, April 23 shortly after general manager Brett Veach spoke to the media for the final time before the draft.
Brown also spent some time with the local media during his first day on the job, but it was a piece of his outfit that stole the show upon stepping foot into Chiefs headquarters.
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Brown Sports ‘Lucky Charm’ Foxtail on First Day in KC
According to the Chiefs’ official social media accounts, Brown first landed in Kansas City on Sunday evening. In a video posted to Twitter just before 7:00 am local time on Monday, Patrick Mahomes‘ new blindside protector could be seen walking into the team’s facility for the first time.
Sporting an all-black getup, hanging from Brown’s right thigh was a unique accessory that the team described as his lucky charm: a foxtail. Chiefs Kingdom didn’t have to wait long to learn the origin of Brown’s style, which came to life thanks to some inspiration from a classic 1980s movie and former All-Pro tackle Jammal Brown, whom the 24-year-old credits as one of his biggest mentors.
“Anybody that knows me, man, I’ve been wearing my foxtail for a long time,” Brown told reporters during his introductory press conference. “It kind of started back in college with my mentor, actually. … It was a dance movie called “Breakin'” and it came out in the 80s and there was this guy on there called Ozone and he had a bunch of foxtails. Foxtail on his hat, on his pants, on his shirt. We were asking what is that? So I looked it up on eBay and saw it was a foxtail. Man, I’ve been wearing it ever since.”
For those unfamiliar with Ozone’s work, feast your eyes on this cinematic masterpiece.
Brown ‘Really Surprised’ to Land With Chiefs
The trade speculation surrounding the former Ravens third-round pick dated back to the end of the 2020 season after Brown filled in on the left side for an injured Ronnie Stanley. With the Chiefs having released both starting tackles and missed out on signing another Pro Bowler in Trent Williams in free agency, the conversation began to shift toward Brown, Baltimore’s asking price and whether Kansas City would be willing to pony up for a young tackle entering the final year of his rookie contract.
With six picks swapping hands in the deal, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that the compensation for Brown worked out to the equivalent of the 45th overall pick. The decision left pundits scratching their heads as to why Baltimore would help fill its biggest competitors’ biggest roster need without a premium return on investment.
When asked how surprised he was to hear that he was headed to the Chiefs, Brown, like many, shared that he was caught off guard.
“I was really surprised, man. I was really surprised,” Brown said on April 26. “Gosh, I didn’t see it coming. If you would’ve asked me when I requested my trade where I would’ve been, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you then. But I was very surprised to be here and I’m just glad they made the move. I definitely think I’m the guy that they want, the guy that they need.”
Despite not having a long-term contract extension in place with his new squad yet, Brown also reassured Chiefs Kingdom that he plans to stick around.
“I want to be here for a long time. I do,” Brown confirmed. “I’m gonna make sure I take care of my part and that’s handling my business on the football field.”
Since entering the league in 2018, Pro Football Focus has graded Brown as the fifth-best tackle in the sport, having allowed only six sacks and five quarterback hits on 2,893 career snaps with only two holding penalties enforced against him in the last two years.
Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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