Preston Brown is no stranger to criticism. The former Louisville Cardinal slid to the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Analysts gave the 6-foot-1, 251-pound linebacker the now-dreaded “thumper” label, a term reserved for two-down linebackers that don’t have the ability to stay on the field in today’s pass-happy league.

Former head coach Rex Ryan challenged him to become more of a leader and playmaker as the MIKE linebacker in his hybrid 3-4 defensive scheme. The 24-year-old responded in 2016 by racking up 135 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble.

With just over a month remaining until the Bills head to St. John Fisher College for training camp, Brown is facing more scrutiny since the team’s 2016 second-round draft pick, Reggie Ragland, returns from injury and figures to compete with him for the starting middle linebacker job.

Now, Sean McDermott is installing his 4-3 defensive scheme, and many fans have panicked about what Brown’s role will be.

Prior to the team’s minicamp, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier stated that he believed both Brown and Ragland could be on the field together, but that statement was widely interpreted simply as coach speak.

However, it’s important to note Brown excelled at all three linebacker spots, primarily as an outside linebacker, during his rookie season under former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

He recorded 108 tackles, six tackles for loss, one interception and two pass breakups in 2014. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 4-3 outside linebacker in coverage, trailing only Brandon Marshall and Thomas Davis.

Despite not fitting the mold of the modern, undersized, new-age linebacker, Brown showed off enough athleticism both in man and zone coverage to be effective playing both the weak and strong side.

Here, Brown runs stride for stride down the seam with Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, leading to an eventual coverage sack.

https://vine.co/v/ezHn6QYeLv1

Brown allowed only 36 receptions in 2014, the second-fewest at his position, and receivers managed a total of 183 yards-after-catch on those receptions, the lowest total among 4-3 outside linebackers.

Even as an inside linebacker under former coach Ryan, Brown quietly thrived. Football Outsiders, an advanced NFL analytics website, tracked a statistic for linebackers called defeats in order to highlight the true playmakers at the position, rather than those who just compile large tackle statistics.

They define a defeat as the following:

Defeats are one way to account for defenders who make frequent appearances on highlight reels. As a reminder, a defender is credited with a defeat any time he makes one of the following plays: A tackle that results in a loss of yardage, including sacks. Any play that results in a turnover, including tipped passes which are then intercepted. Any tackle or tipped pass that leads to a stop on third or fourth down.

In 2016, Brown led the NFL with 31 total defeats (10 against the pass, 21 against the run).

Football Outsiders had this to say about Brown’s season:

Brown hardly fits the profile of a big-play defender, with only three interceptions and one sack in his career. But Brown did a little bit of everything in 2016. Twelve run tackles for loss. Nine run tackles for stops on third or fourth down, including four with 1 or 2 yards to go. Seven tackles on completed passes for third-down stops. One tackle for a loss on a completed pass. One sack. One forced fumble.

The video above highlights Brown’s sideline-to-sideline speed, his ability to wrap up ball-carriers before they have a chance to create yards after the catch and his power to make an impact as a run defender.

While speed and hybrid linebackers are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s NFL, talent trumps all. And while he’ll be competing for playing time at both inside and outside linebacker, Brown has the tools to allow him to see a significant portion of playing time in the final year of his rookie contract.