Monson: Utah no-name comes out of nowhere to sign with Miami Dolphins

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He ran routes and caught passes, impressing the scouts, all of whom asked the same question: Who is this guy?

"I was on Cloud Nine," he says. "It all hit me like, ‘Wow, is this really happening?’ "

Some scouts were skeptical, almost disrespected by the fact that Brown seemed to be toying with their game, walking in off the street, having played no college football, and putting up the numbers he did.

"A lot of it was mental," he says. "I’m normally a humble kid, but, going in, I said, ‘I’m going to kill it. I’m going to be the guy the scouts are talking about.’ "

Brown was right on both counts.

His brothers, Braden and Trevor, who is a redshirt freshman tight end at BYU, watched what their brother was pulling off and cried.

"It was an overwhelming feeling for all of us," Les Brown says. "When I quit school, some of my friends thought I was foolish, chasing some kind of high school dream. They thought I had a better shot at hitting the lottery than making the NFL. But I was doing it for me. I’d always wondered, ‘What if I had played football?’ "

The Eagles subsequently called, the Giants called, the Raiders and Colts called. The Dolphins, Packers and Eagles invited Brown to private workouts. He made it to Miami and then Green Bay before the Dolphins persuaded him to sign a three-year minimum deal with them, which included a modest signing bonus.

"All I wanted was a chance," he says. "When I started on this journey, I never thought this would happen."

It has happened. Brown will fly out Sunday, reporting to Dolphins mini-camp on Monday.

"I know the hard work is just beginning," he says. "I’m excited and humbled. I’ve got a lot of work in front of me. My goal now is to make the Dolphins look like the smartest team around for giving me a shot."

GORDON MONSON hosts the "Gordon Monson Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.

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