After spending four years as a running back at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, Baltimore native Ronnie Brown is hoping to hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot, 190-pound back started all 15 games for the Rams in 2022. He had 219 carries for 1,863 yards, caught 56 passes for 589 yards and combined for 24 touchdowns as a first-team Division II All-American. He took part in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl following Shepherd’s 13-2 season.
The journey from playing locally to Division II football has been hard work for Brown, especially with a 4-year-old son, Wolfe. Brown says his son makes him even hungrier for success.
“I think the grind is what makes people more happy with life because you grind, and you keep working for something great. It’s not handed to you,” Brown said on Glenn Clark Radio April 6. “The stuff that’s handed to you, people start losing their focus.”
Brown was a three-sport athlete at Sparrows Point High School (football, lacrosse and wrestling). He realized his primary focus and skills were in football, and he transferred to Dundalk High School ahead of his senior year to play for the Owls under Matt Banta.
Brown did have a few offers coming out of high school and visited schools like Bowie State and Morgan State. However, the only school that offered him a full scholarship was Shepherd.
Shepherd has amazing fans and a great community, according to Brown. He preferred to stay loyal to his school instead of transferring to a bigger program at some point during his college career.
“I felt like Shepherd was the greatest opportunity, the best opportunity for me to showcase my ability at a high [Division II school] and to be able to perform at a high level,” Brown said.
Brown is not the only player from the Rams going through the NFL draft process. Offensive lineman Joey Fisher is also going through it. Fisher, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound senior, started in all 15 games last season and earned a Senior Bowl invite for his crucial role on Shepherd’s offensive line.
Having a teammate go through the process has been beneficial for Brown. He mentioned that although they are taking slightly different paths, they motivate each other to keep pushing and make it to the NFL.
“[Fisher] takes everything that he does and does it 10,000 percent, and I love that because I love people that grind. I like people around me that have the same goals and the same aspirations as me because it just fuels each other. He’s a great teammate. He’s a really wonderful dude,” Brown said.
Brown has the same name as another running back who played in the NFL for 10 years, mostly with the Miami Dolphins. However, Brown mentioned that this is not really been a problem during his football career.
Brown is a Ravens fan and would love to play for them. However, he wants a chance to prove his talent with any team.
“It would be amazing to be able to put on for the city and be able to stand where I was born and raised from and be able to put on a show for everybody around here to show kids, even people [from] around here … you can still strive for something great,” Brown said. “Everybody has bad narratives of Baltimore. It’s just how it is. But I feel like me being there and being on a team or getting that shot at least will give a lot of kids hope.”
For more from Brown, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Jack Ransom