Why Illinois running back Chase Brown fits Miami Dolphins outside zone scheme

MOBILE, Ala. — The Dolphins don't have one running back under contract for next season and so drafting one in April seems paramount.

Miami could bring back Raheem Mostert and/or also add another running back with Mostert-like traits.

Enter Chase Brown of Illinois, who once starred at St. Stephen's Episcopal in Bradenton. He's the type of back who could make sense in, say, the third round.

"Mostert has God-gifted speed," Brown said after a Senior Bowl practice last week. "Dude is a competitor and the way he plays makes him successful at that level. Being compared to him is pretty cool. It's just my speed, my burst, my physicality, my focus. I think, you know, also my ability to create separation through burst would be a good fit for the Dolphins."

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Who could blame Brown for wanting to return to the Florida lifestyle, after spending the first 16 years of his life in Ontario, Canada? Brown was recounting after practice how a family decision to relocate him and twin brother, Sydney, to Florida was a remarkable success.

"It changed our lives," Chase said. "True blessing being there with Phil and Karen Yates. Big shout out to Tod Creneti and everybody that was a part of that community and our path in Bradenton."

The Yates' were the first host family to the Brown brothers and Creneti was the coach. The brothers would later play together at Ilinois, where last year Sydney had six interceptions and Chase rushed for 1,643 yards.

After Tuesday's practice, Sydney was asked to describe Chase's playing style in three words.

"Tough. Fast. And physical," Sydney said.

Scouts have also used phrases like "home-run hitter," "explosive," "powerful," "dynamic," and "durable."

Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, agreed Brown's style would fit a wide zone rushing attack like the Dolphins.

"Yeah, because he can stop on a dime," Nagy said. "I mean, this guy's cutting ability, that's his strength. He's kind of compact. I think he's got an ideal running back body type. He's hard to hit, rocked up, bounces off contact. He can really stick his foot in the ground and change direction and get downhill."

Nagy cited running back as one of the deepest and most talented position groups in this year's draft. That's great news for the Dolphins, even though they don't often invest at running back.

Miami's recent running back picks include Gerrid Doaks (7th round), Myles Gaskin (7th round) and Kalen Ballage (4th round). Kenyan Drake (3rd round) and Jay Ajay (5th round) were good selections in 2015 and '16, respectively.

Brown, who is 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, will be one of a cornucopia of backs Miami considers with picks in Rounds 2, 3, 6 or 7.

"I want to show NFL teams my route-running ability, my ability to catch the ball and run the ball," said Brown, who cited Christian McCaffery as his favorite NFL back. "I want to address some weaknesses too, in pass protection and ball security, and just build on that as a player in the next two days."

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Senior Bowl RB Chase Brown of Illinois fits Miami Dolphins offense