The Green Bay Packers’ newest receiver went undrafted but had more production than new teammate Matthew Golden while they were at Houston.
The Green Bay Packers aren’t finished in their quest to add high-end athletes at receiver.
The Packers signed University of Miami rookie receiver Sam Brown on Thursday. In a corresponding roster move, defensive end Jeremiah Martin, who joined Green Bay’s practice squad late last season after collecting 8.5 sacks during his final season at Washington, was released. He did not practice on Wednesday.
The Packers were one of the teams that showed interest in Brown before the draft. They chose to sign him immediately after a Thursday morning workout, according to a source.
Brown went undrafted last month despite boasting big-time athleticism and quality production. He attended the Miami Dolphins rookie minicamp but was not signed.
“I’m ready to be a great culture fit for the organization,” he told The Draft Network before the draft. “I’m going to be ready to play whenever my opportunity arrives. I want to be a household name. I want to carve that out for myself.”
In five seasons at West Virginia, Houston and Miami, he caught 149 passes for 1,903 yards (12.8 average) and nine touchdowns. At Houston in 2022 and 2023, when he was teammates with Packers first-round pick Matthew Golden, he caught 103 passes.
In 2022, when Tank Dell was Houston’s star receiver, Brown caught 41 passes for 471 yards compared to 38 catches for 584 yards for Golden.
In 2023, with Dell off to the NFL, Brown led the team with 62 receptions for 815 yards, averaging 13.1 yards per catch and scoring three touchdowns. By comparison, Golden caught 38 passes for 404 yards (10.6 average) and six touchdowns.
Both receivers transferred for their final season in college. While Golden eventually became the go-to receiver at Texans, Brown caught 36 passes for 509 yards (14.1 average) and two touchdowns for the Hurricanes.
In five college seasons, Brown averaged 6.2 yards after the catch per catch, including a career-high 8.5 in 2024. He dropped four passes in 2024 and 12 for his career, according to Pro Football Focus. With Cam Ward as his quarterback, he caught 1-of-8 deep passes, though that was for a 76-yard touchdown, with one drop.
“Overall, Brown doesn’t play with confidence running the full route tree, but he is straight-line explosive with the acceleration to separate vertically or horizontally,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said as part of a more extensive scouting report. “He has a promising yet unseasoned skill set, reminiscent of a Dyami Brown-type of target.”
At 6-foot-2 1/4 and 200 pounds. Brown ran his 40 in 4.44 seconds with a 41 1/2-inch vertical jump despite dealing with a hamstring injury. His Relative Athletic Score was 9.91, meaning he ranked in the 99th percentile at the position.
“I treat myself like a pro on and off the field,” he told Click2Houston at the Combine. “I’m fully committed to the game right now. I haven’t reached my prime and my peak yet. At the next level, it’s not just about pure talent. It’s about consistency. Talent is flashes. Consistency is what you want to put behind your name. I want them to say: ‘Sam Brown is one of the most consistent and most productive wide receivers.’”
During Brown’s first season at Houston, he was suspended for slapping a Tulsa player.
“Young Sam,” as he called himself, had to grow up.
“The talent with Sam has always been there,” Houston receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. told The Houston Chronicle during Brown’s breakout 2023 season. “Sam’s a good kid. Obviously, he’s made some mistakes in the past, but everybody has. That’s human nature.”
Said Brown: “Keep my head on straight. If I stay the course and live right … that means the football gods will reward you on Saturdays.”
He wasn’t rewarded too often with the Hurricanes, though. He had one huge game with three catches for 125 yards against Louisville but had only one other game of 50-plus yards.
“He’s a great teammate,” teammate Xavier Restrepo told The Miami Herald. “Obviously, things are not always going to be butterflies and rainbows. To see the fight in that guy, and see that guy finally get what he deserves is just amazing. I’m super happy for Sam. Me and him have a really, really good relationship. I love that dude. He brings it every single week and really experienced, played a lot of football.”