Jerry Jones' phone call sealed Brown to Cowboys; Purdue free agent signings
Anthony Brown had talked to Jason Garrett previously, but Saturday's call came from an even higher Cowboys' power.
“Once I got the phone call, I knew who it was,” said Brown, after he had been picked by Dallas in the sixth round, No. 189 overall, in the NFL Draft. “Because it said ‘Dallas’ on the area code on the phone. Once I heard Jerry Jones’ voice, I knew it and I was ready to go.
“... He was just telling me that he was ready for me to come compete for a spot on the team, and get ready to go.”
Brown had known of the Cowboys' interest, having a workout there shortly after Purdue's pro day in March. Then, he got to meet with Garrett and other Dallas' personnel, but hadn't talked to Jones, the Cowboys' owner.
"I knew they were looking," Brown said. "And after they hadn’t taken any cornerbacks (previously) in the draft, I figured I could be a possibility.”
The pick kept the Boilermakers' NFL streak alive, now up to 19 straight years with at least a player taken. A year ago, it was again Dallas making the pick, as the Cowboys selected defensive Ryan Russell in the fifth round; he was Purdue's only selection.
Last season, Brown had 59 tackles, plus four interceptions and six other pass breakups as a senior. He also recovered and forced a fumble. That was enough to get him an NFL Combine invite, and there the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Tampa native shined. He ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, the second-best among cornerbacks and fifth-best overall.
Brown thought that he had done enough to work himself up the draft board, and thought that his evaluation came in as a third-round pick. That made waiting much of the day on Saturday a struggle.
"I guess no one pulled the trigger, so I waited ‘til the sixth round," he said. "I don’t know. It was hard to wait. I had to walk away for a minute, but I got through it. I’m just happy to be on a team.”
Purdue has had at least one player taken now every year since 1998. Brown is the lowest first Boilermaker selection since linebacker Joe Odom went No. 191 in 2003, the only Purdue player selected that year. Brown is also one of four cornerbacks during the streak, joining Mike Hawthorne (2000), Jacques Reeves (2004) and Ricardo Allen (2014).
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Free agent signings
Notes: Frankie Williams signed with the Colts, following a rookie free agent tryout in Indianapolis. ... Michael Rouse and Ryan Watson also had tryouts in Kansas City and Detroit, respectively, but were not signed.
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