Ravens Marquise Brown added muscle this offseason without sacrificing any of his speed

The only trait of Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown’s that has been talked about leading up to training camp and heading into the season more than his potential to break out in his sophomore campaign is his incredibly bulked-up physique.

After struggling to keep on weight as a rookie as he continued to rehab from Lisfranc foot surgery and try to make the difficult transition from college to the pros, the speedy wideout nicknamed ‘Hollywood’ for his flashy playmaking ability and an homage to the part of Florida he grew up in used his first offseason as a pro to reshape his body while not only keeping but also improving his speed.

“Everything with gaining weight was keeping my speed and getting faster. I put together a good regimen with the running. It wasn’t just like I put the weight and tried to get out there and start running. It took time for the weight to stick on me. I was gaining, losing. It started sticking around June.”‘

Brown added 23 pounds of mostly muscle since the Ravens’ season ended on Jan.11 in the divisional round of the playoffs at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. On that day, he had his best game of the year since he busted onto the scene on opening weekend when he returned to his home state and torched the Miami Dolphins for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four receptions.

Against the Titans Brown hauled in seven of his game-high 11 targets for 126 yards, including an amazing 38-yard one-handed snag that he reeled in with three Tennessee defenders tight in coverage. It marked his only other time eclipsing 100 yards receiving during his rookie season but offered a glimpse of the potential that he flashed throughout the year while battling to stay healthy and rehab simultaneously. Hollywood finished his rookie year with 46 receptions for 584 yards and franchise record-tying seven touchdowns.

Once Brown fully recovered he went right into preparing his body to handle the rigors of playing a full NFL season by making adding additional mass without sacrificing an ounce of the game-breaking and field-stretching blazing speed that enticed the Ravens to draft him 25th overall in the first round out of Oklahoma without knowing of he’d be full go to start or at any point in the 2019 season.

“I just wanted to get back to my old self,” Brown said. “Started off in the beginning of the year just working on my foot, getting my leg back right, my whole left side of my body. And then, ramping up into May and June, I started moving around, doing routes, cutting. Then June and July, I started back working on my speed. I just took the time out to address every part of my body, just to make sure I was going into the year right.”

To ensure that he wasn’t losing any of his coverage dictating speed that makes him such a dangerous downfield threat, Brown had the team send him a GPS tracking device to help him keep track of his mph (miles per hour).

“I got the Ravens to send me a GPS tracker down to make sure I was still at top speed,” Brown said. “Even my first day running, not even going top speed, I matched my highest speed since I’ve been with the Ravens. I was pleased to hear that. I just had to make sure it was still there.”

Brown said that he has yet to reach his the top speed that he showcased in his two years with the Sooners with the Ravens but admitted on his first day of running during offseason training, without even going full throttle, he matched the fastest speed he’s recorded since coming to Baltimore.

Former first-round tight end Hayden Hurst who was traded in March registered the Ravens’ top speed of 2019 in a game against the Buffalo Bills on a 61-yard touchdown catch and run. Don’t be surprised if Hollywood claims that title for himself a couple of times this season.

Brown believes his extra padding will help him become a more well-rounded receiver, explosive playmaker and more of a factor in the run game as a blocker. Veteran receiver Willie Snead said the first thing that the second-year receiver told him when they arrived at the Under Amor Performance Center was that he is going to be “trying to block somebody” and “set the tone in the run game” in year two.

“I think it’ll help me absorbing hits off the catch, blocking, anything physical,” Brown said of his added muscle. “Just to be able to have that extra weight and strength behind you to help with injuries. I feel back to normal, sort of to say. I feel back to myself.”

A healthy Hollywood that is back to full speed and bulked up could be a game-changer for a Ravens offense that was already the most explosive and highest-scoring unit a season ago. His action movie hero like frame could help rack up plenty of yards after the catch, turning slants into long touchdowns, as well as making him a beast of a downfield blocker.

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