The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tracking the Longhorns: Malcom Brown on the NFL Draft
05.01.2015 | Football
Defensive lineman was selected by New England with the 32nd choice in the first round
2015 NFL Draft Index | Brown chosen in First Round by Patriots | Video: Highlights of Brown | Photo Gallery: Brown in action
Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was selected by the New England Patriots with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Brown, who was a first-team All-America choice last season as a junior, watched the first round of the draft unfold Thursday in Austin with his family.
The native of Brenham, Texas, met with the media shortly after he was drafted.
Defensive tackle Malcom Brown
On the excitement of being drafted by the Patriots: It was [exciting]. My uncle is a real big Patriots fan. It was just kind of overwhelming that they had called me right then because I was outside eating barbeque. I was like, 'Man, I'm this far in the draft, and they [the Patriots] didn't really talk to me, so just go ahead and go outside and get away from everybody.' But when I got the call, I got so happy and came right back in. It was a good feeling.
On if he was starting to get disappointed or do some damage control if he was going to have to wait another night: A little bit here and there. I wasn't going to do some damage control. I just got kind of down. I really thought I was going to be a real high draft pick. It really didn't matter to me. When you're going through this process, nothing is certain on this day. I had already prepared myself for that, so it wasn't too bad.
On the moment he got the call and realized he was going to the NFL: It was great. I was sitting out there and a number popped up, and I was just like, 'Uh oh.' I had to wipe my hands on my shorts. I answered the call, and it was just a great feeling. Your heart starts pumping real fast. You just got to take a deep breath and think about everything while you're on the phone with the team. It's just a real great feeling.
On what the Patriots told him: They were just like, 'Congratulations, you're a Patriot.' And I was just like, 'Thank you.' I was like, 'Thank you, thank you.' I was just happy to be picked up and just know where I'm going so I can get started.
On how much contact he had with the Patriots leading up to the draft: The craziest part is not that much. Everybody thinks, 'who has been talking to you? Oh this team has talked to you? Oh yeah, they're going to draft you.' But it's not like that. I haven't really had any contact with any teams. That's the hardest part about the whole process. That's the hardest part because you never know what they feel for you.
On if he got to talk to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and what was said in the conversation: Oh yeah I got to talk to him. He was just like, 'we're going to get you in here and get you started. Congratulations, you're a Patriot,' and just stuff like that. It was great to have a conversation with him.
On if he's nervous going to the defending Super Bowl champions: No, I'm just going to go in and contribute whatever I have to give and I'm just going to work my hardest.
On the difference of getting to pick where he wanted to play in college versus not having the choice in the NFL: It's real hard. Obviously, if I had the option to pick where I wanted to go, it would be number one. But I guess that's the hardest thing about this whole process because if anyone had to pick, it would be number one. So the difference between me picking somebody and them picking us is now we feel like them when they had to wait for our decision. That's like signing day. On signing day, you get the last changes and people think they're going to sign here or sign there. That's kind of how it is on this day. You never know what you're going to get until you're exactly there.
On how different this whole process has been than he thought it would be when he declared for the draft: I really didn't know how the process was going to be. I really just went day by day with it. My agent helped me a lot with it. I just went through it. I wouldn't give anybody advice because this is a very special moment to embrace. You have to get all the feelings of this whole process: combine, training, pro day, all that. You have to feel all that just to know how all this really feels. Somebody can't really tell you how to go through because they might have gone through it a different way.
On if Charlie Strong called him: He did. He just called me, too. He's probably mad at me because I didn't answer, but he's just trying to keep me calm. He called me before it even started and was like, 'don't be nervous, don't be nervous.' He's just trying to keep me relaxed and everything, so he's a great guy.
On how much time he has spent in Boston or in the Northeast: None. That's what they asked me, 'what you know about Boston?' And I was like, 'Celtics and that's about it,' so I'm ready to get there and adventure a little bit.
On filling in Vince Wilfork's spot on the defensive line: I feel like nothing's handed to me. There's always someone there. I'll just go in there and I'm going to work and I'm just going to compete for the job, and if it's mine, I'm just going to get in and contribute whatever I can to the program.
On how much it means to him that they are looking for him to replace Vince Wilfork not only on the team but also in the Boston community: It means a lot. Like I just said, I'm just going to go in and I'm going to give it my all. I'm going to compete, work hard every day and just try to rise up to the occasion.
On how Charlie Strong's coaching staff prepared him for the league and developing his game over the last year: I will always go back to the great relationship that we had, how they act on a daily basis. It's just great energy to be around. They make you practice harder because they're out there talking trash to the other side. It's just kind of hard not to take all that in and not go with the motions. They're always talking trash, then you start talking trash, then everybody is practicing harder because they don't want to let their side down. They don't want to get talked about. Then they go harder, so they would make us practice harder, just by doing that. Then we get to the games and everybody had been practicing harder, so then you're playing harder.
On if he's had a moment to think about all the hard work he's put in and all the dreams he's had to play in the NFL is finally a reality: Every day up to this moment. I always think about everything I've been through, every day I've worked, every day I went to work at Texas, every day I went to work at Brenham High School and it was just a great feeling to finally see that it's all paid off. Big goals, big dreams all coming true and I can't stop now. I've got to keep working.
On how it feels to know where he's going and is able to provide for his family: It means a lot, just to know I can make it where my daughters' life won't be hard as they're growing up or my wife won't have to beg for anything. Just give them everything they want, you know, not like I had it, so that means a lot to me just to give them what I didn't have.
On if teams saw it as a sign of maturity that he was married with kids and if the Patriots mentioned anything about it: No they haven't mentioned anything about it. I don't know if that really factored into anything because it is what it is, I'm a married man. But there are a lot of other guys out there with something else that they have to care for: brothers, sisters, mothers. So it really doesn't matter, so I don't really know if it factored into anything, though.
On how much he's going to keep up with the draft to see where his teammates get drafted: I'm always going to play it by ear. I'm always going to try and stay after them. They texted me before today and told me, 'Good luck, you deserve it,' so of course, I'm going to watch and see where they go so I can be there and text them as that moment is happening.
