Antario Brown coming back from injury, still hoping to get drafted

DeKALB – After Antario Brown hurt his hip at the end of a 49-yard run against Western Michigan in November, the Northern Illinois senior running back thought he was coming back.

Even coach Thomas Hammock, normally tight-lipped about injuries, said Brown should be back before the end of the season.

Fast forward five months to NIU’s pro day on Monday, and the NFL hopeful was not participating in on-field drills, only lifting and interviews.

“I’ve been able to make a lot of progress so far, so I’m really happy where I’m at right now,” Brown said. “It was a pretty bad injury. It didn’t look like it, but it was. It was the weight-bearing portion of my hip. I fractured it, been out for some time now.”

Brown was one of 19 players at the pro day working out in front of scouts from 14 NFL teams, including the Bears, Packers and Lions.

Earlier this month, Hammock posted on social media that Brown was going to make some NFL team look like a genius.

On Monday, Hammock said he thinks Brown’s best games are still ahead of him.

“Obviously, he has the speed and explosiveness that translate,” said Hammock, a running backs coach with the Baltimore Ravens before taking over at his alma mater. “I think he’ll perform better at the next level than at college because he’s going to be a big back with good feet and explosiveness that you just don’t see in most guys.

Brown became the ninth player in NIU history to reach 3,000 career yards, finishing with 3,090 yards in 40 career games. He scored 26 touchdowns in his career, 10th in school history, and his 6 yards per carry is fifth in program history.

Brown said he’s been doing physical therapy in Colorado through his agency and has been off crutches for a month.

He also said he’s been seeing mental health experts in Colorado, helping with his confidence and helping him believe he’ll get another shot to play again.

If drafted, Brown would become the first NIU player to be taken in the NFL draft since Max Scharping (55th overall) and Sutton Smith (175th) went in the 2019 draft.

Brown said he’s going to the Bears’ local pro day April 8 and will be able to run there. He also will hold a private workout back at NIU just before the draft.

“I definitely think I still have the opportunity,” Brown said. “I’ve been pushing myself so far with this hip thing. Once I get over this speed bump, I’ll be able to show scouts that there’s been no delay or slack in my game. Whether it’s the first through seventh round‚ it doesn’t matter to me. I just need a shot."

Hammock said the mental piece is bigger than the physical one for Brown. He said Brown has handled the unexpected length of the injury with maturity.

“I try to call him every week because really with the injury, it’s not about if he’s going to come back,” Hammock said. “It’s the mental side, right? ... Just making sure you are checking the boxes mentally. So I try to check in with him mentally, make sure he’s doing good.”

Seventeen of the 19 players at the pro day were former NIU players. There was also a large crowd of current and former players on hand to watch.

Devonte O’Malley said it was nice to see his teammates again on the field pursuing the same goal.

“I’ve played with these guys for the last three, four years. Some of these guys five if they’ve been here since I’ve been here,” the defensive lineman said.

O’Malley is sixth in school history with 22.5 sacks. The Bremen graduate made 130 tackles in his career, starting 46 of the 58 games in which he played. His eight sacks in 2024 were 33rd nationally.

With all the uncertainty of the next month of whether he’ll be drafted, signed as a free agent or go down another road, O’Malley said he’s staying level-headed and is ready for anything.

“We’ll just see how it is, let God take the wheel and see where I land,” O’Malley said. “I know I can ball. I know I’m a great player. I put the numbers up to prove I’m athletic enough.”