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          NFL Nation

          After hitting 20 mph in debut, Hollywood Brown says 'nowhere near my top speed'

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterSep 14, 2019, 10:00 AM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Rookie Marquise "Hollywood" Brown set an NFL record in his debut -- just not a personal one.

          Brown, the fleet-footed Baltimore Ravens wide receiver, became the first player in league history to score multiple 40-yard touchdowns in his first career game, outrunning the Miami Dolphins defense each time. He did so on the first two catches of his career.

          His top speed hit 20.25 miles per hour in the Ravens' 59-10 rout of the Dolphins, according to NFL's NextGen Stats. But Brown wasn't impressed by clocking the 14th-fastest time for a ball carrier in Week 1.

          "That was nowhere near my top speed," Brown said.

          Brown had foot surgery in January, and he has been brought along slowly. He was limited for a good portion of training camp, and he missed the first two preseason games.

          It was about that time when Brown lamented to quarterback Lamar Jackson that he wasn't feeling fast.

          Jackson told Brown, "Bro, game day, it’s going to come to you. It’s different. Adrenaline is rushing. I know your competitiveness is going to come out, and it’s going to show."

          It didn't take long for Brown to prove Jackson right and make an immediate impact.

          On his first catch, Brown got the ball on a short slant and raced 47 yards to the end zone.

          Just 4 minutes, 20 seconds later, he got behind the Dolphins defense for his second reception and scored on an 83-yard touchdown.

          "I wasn’t back to full speed," said Brown, who acknowledged that he is still experiencing some discomfort in his foot. "I was talking to people, telling them, 'I don’t know if it was the heat or something, but I wasn’t really feeling it.' But I was running pretty good.”

          NFL draft expert Todd McShay once said he doesn't know if, in his 20 years of analyzing college prospects, he has ever evaluated a player with faster playing speed than Brown. Brown didn't run the 40-yard dash because he was still recovering from foot surgery. But, on a rehab run in training camp, Brown reached 21 miles per hour.

          "He’s such an electric player," tight end Mark Andrews said. "And you see it in college, but those two catches for touchdowns, 143 yards or whatever it was -- it’s incredible. For a first game as a rookie, it’s kind of unheard of."

          Brown, the No. 25 overall pick, finished the season opener with four catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns in just 12 offensive snaps. He gained an average of 11.3 yards more after each catch than the average player would've produced, according to NextGen Stats. The was the best mark of any receiver in Week 1.

          "I wasn’t really surprised," Brown said. "I’ve been making some plays in practice. So, I was pretty comfortable going into the game that I was going to be able to make some plays. But whenever you’re able to score on your first two catches as touchdowns, that was just a blessing from God. I didn’t expect to do that.”