Last year, All-Pro defensive end Von Miller called San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Trent Brown one of the best right tackles in all of football. After San Francisco’s joint practice with the Broncos on Thursday, Miller was even more effusive with his praise.
“He’s the best right tackle in the National Football League,” Miller said Thursday as reported by Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “And he may even be a top-five tackle, period, in the National Football League. There’s not another tackle who’s that tall, that big and can move the way he moves.”
Here’s how Brown reacted to Miller’s statement last year.
Brown faced off against Miller for much of Thursday’s practice. Brown was the only offensive lineman that was invited to Miller’s “Pass Rush Summit,” at Stanford this offseason, something he explained after practice.
“Just so he could soak in some of the information that we got,” Miller said. “And, from my point of view, we could get it from a premier offensive tackle point of view.”
The most surprising aspect of Miller’s praise is the fact that Brown is not considered by most metrics to be an elite offensive tackle at all. Brown was given a slightly below average grade for both the 2015 and 2016 season by Pro Football Focus, which analyzes the performance of every player on every play. Brown has also never been selected to a Pro Bowl or won an offseason league or team award.
Still, being called one of the best offensive tackles in the league by maybe the best defensive player means something, and is a good sign for the future of the former seventh-round pick.
“He’s great. He’s got a big future ahead. He’s going to have one of the biggest (contracts) for an offensive lineman,” Miller said. “…He’ll be as good as he wants to be. When he’s on, there’s not another tackle in the National Football League that’s as good as him.”