Orlando Brown runs painfully slow 40 at NFL Combine (Video)

How fast an offensive lineman can run unobstructed in a straight line for distance is not significant to football, but Orlando Brown’s 40-yard dash at the combine did him no favors.

Regardless of which draft analyst’s work you’re looking at, Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown is slated to be a fairly early pick in April’s draft. Back in mid-February, NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks tabbed Brown as the No. 1 tackle prospect in the 2018 class.

Brown is a very big man, and he came in just shy of 6-foot-8 and at 345 pounds earlier this week at the NFL Combine. His arm length (35 inches) and wingspan (85 and 1/8 inches) also came in pretty sizeable, as expected.

Brown did not start off his combine workouts well on Thursday, with just 14 bench press reps. Friday’s 40-yard dash was surely not going to do him any favors either, but Brown’s exhibition was almost painful to watch.

Brown registered an unofficial 5.86 on his first attempt, and a 5.77 on his second run. Those in attendance have offered some reaction, context and historical perspective on Brown’s combine performance. It appears Brown carried the disappointment of his incredibly slow 40-yard dash into his work during on-field drills.

Frankly, there are NFL fans at the recent Super Bowl Experience in Minneapolis who ran a faster 40-yard dash than Brown did on Friday. But Rotoworld’s Josh Norris astutely cited Brown’s 10-yard split of 2.0 seconds, which should be important to NFL teams as a far better way to assess an offensive lineman’s initial explosion and agility after the ball is snapped.

Next: Richard Sherman trade rumors: 5 potential destinations

Brown will be following in his father’s footsteps by reaching the NFL, and he may have a long career to put the value of his 40 time at the combine in its place. But his chance to be a first-round pick has definitely vanished, and now a team may get a draft steal.