Chargers UDFA Spotlight: RB Leddie Brown

Brown joins a backfield looking for some stability behind Austin Ekeler.

With the new batch of undrafted free agent signed, it’s time to start highlighting some of the newest Chargers.

First up, we’ve got Leddie Brown, one of two running backs signed among the the team’s 14 UDFAs.

Brown stands at a stout 6’0 and 214 pounds. The Philadelphia native was a four-year contributor for West Virginia where he earned several all-conference selections before heading to the NFL.

In his first two seasons in Morgantown, Brown played in a backup role where he totaled 813 rushing yards and five touchdowns. As a junior, he strode into the starting role, recording his first season with over 1,000 yards on the ground and scoring nine touchdowns. He was also a threat in the passing game, catching 31 balls for 202 yards and another two scores. His efforts that year earned him a First-Team All-Big 12 honor by the coaches.

In his final season, Brown improved on the majority of his numbers, toting the rock 223 times for 1,065 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns. His receiving numbers also improved to 36 catches and 217 yards while scoring another touchdown through the air. For his final collegiate campaign, Brown was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick.

With his stature, Brown is built similarly to Chargers fourth-round pick, Isaiah Spiller. He’s a downhill runner with the strength and power to break through arm tackles to record some YAC, but there’s a level of decisiveness and agility he lacks that kept him from hearing his name called throughout the draft. His peripheral vision is lacking and finding any tape of him making a man miss is a tough task. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein also states in his draft notes that Brown struggled with ball security in college.

At the end of the day, a productive back from a Power 5 conference is still a solid pickup as an undrafted player. He joins a backfield that was lacking in any sort of depth behind Austin Ekeler for the past two seasons and despite the team drafting Spiller in the fourth, there are snaps to be had nonetheless. I believe the final running back depth chart could look a lot different when the dust settles.