Tennessee Titans star wide receiver A.J. Brown has been a key component in the team's offensive game plan since he was drafted by the organization in 2019. The former Ole Miss standout was the 51st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and he's developed into a star in Tennessee. Despite that, Brown revealed an interesting tidbit about where he was hoping to be drafted a couple years back. According to Zack Cox of NESN, Brown is a huge Patriots fans who was expecting the team to draft him in 2019, only to be crushed when they went another direction.
A.J. Brown also said last year that he "cried (his) eyes out" when the Patriots didn't pick him.
"I just knew I was going to the Patriots, because I was a big Patriots fan." https://t.co/H424ZqqUf3
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) December 24, 2021
Per Cox, in Brown's mind, he was destined to be a Patriot, and actually “cried his eyes out” when Bill Belichick and Co. didn't select him at pick No. 45. The Patriots instead drafted Joejuan Williams out of Vanderbilt, something they may be regretting right about now. Williams has started just one game for the Pats across three years with the franchise, recording 43 total tackles and eight pass defenses across 35 games.
Those numbers pale in comparison to that of Brown, who has emerged as a star wideout early on in his Titans' career. Across 41 games in a Titans' uniform, Brown has recorded 179 receptions, 2,886 yards and 23 touchdown receptions, having featured in the Pro Bowl in 2020. This season, Brown has battled injury, but still featured in 11 games for the Titans and recorded 57 receptions, 760 yards, and four touchdowns.
Considering the Patriots' lack of a No. 1 wide receiver, the decision to pick Williams ahead of Brown will likely come back to haunt them, and while Brown is thriving with the Titans, he'll likely wonder what could have been if he had ended up with the Patriots.
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