Ji'Ayir Brown, S Penn State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Brown was a three-star JUCO transfer from Lackawanna C.C in Scranton, Pa., in the class of 2020

The Penn State Nittany Lions had safety Jaquan Brisker go 48th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears. Brisker’s former running mate Ji'Ayir Brown is eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft and could earn looks from several franchises.

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Ji'Ayir Brown, S Penn State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior strong safety from Trenton, N.J.

Background: Brown was a three-star JUCO transfer from Lackawanna C.C in Scranton, Pa., in the class of 2020. He also previously attended Trenton Central High School in Trenton, N.J. where he failed to receive a star ranking from 247Sports upon graduation with the class of 2018. Brown was the No. 18 JUCO transfer (three-star) according to 247Sports’ JUCO Composite board, the No. 22 JUCO recruit for Rivals, and No. 38 for On3.com. He ranked 31st on the ESPN JC50 with a 79 grade out of 100. While at Lackawanna C.C, Brown was the Northeast Football Conference's (NEFC) Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and earned First-Team All-NEFC honors as a sophomore. In 2018, he helped Lackawanna win the El Toro Bowl with a perfect 11-0 record and place No. 6 in the national rankings. As a sophomore, he tallied 35 tackles, three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a fumble recovery in nine games. As a freshman, he totaled 40 tackles, five interceptions, and three passes defensed. In high school, Brown earned First-Team All-State honors as a senior and First-Team All-Conference honors three times. MaxPreps credits him with 1,113 all-purpose yards, including 246 rushing yards and 313 receiving yards in ten games as a high school senior. Brown is also credited with 52 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, three passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries in his final high school season. He was the Defensive Player of the Game for the Phil Simms North/South All-Star Game. Brown also played basketball and led the state of New Jersey with 6.8 steals per game as a senior. He has one brother and two sisters.

2021 Production: 13 games, 73 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions, 5 passes defensed, 1 touchdown

2020 Production: 9 games, 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Rarely penalized, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, appears to have adequate arm length, gains good depth from his backpedal, offers upside as a feisty blitzer, compact build that can pack good power, unafraid of initiating contact at the catch point, excellent ball production in 2021, attacks the football on contested catches, reads the quarterback’s eyes, anticipation to jump short to intermediate routes, occasional powerful tackles when he triggers downhill, willing run defender who fits gaps well

Cons: Age, double-digit missed tackles in 2021, lacks sideline-to-sideline range, not twitchy or explosive, delayed downhill trigger, spends a lot of time covering empty space, late coming over to help the corner, lacks high-end speed and agility, limited height, bites on eye candy in the backfield and is slow to locate the football, takes questionably steep angles to the ball carrier, slides off too many tackles, some tightness in his hips, change of direction skills are underwhelming, doesn’t consistently wrap for tackles, won’t play slot snaps in the NFL, lacks the range to play single-high coverages

Overview: Brown is unofficially listed at 5'11", 202 lbs. The JUCO product primarily lined up in the box for Penn State in 2021, but he also played more than 100 snaps in the slot and more than 200 snaps as a safety in deeper alignments. He spent more time in a traditional deep safety role and less time in the box early in the 2022 season. Brown is a highly experienced special teams player who can contribute to multiple units right away. He has an efficient backpedal that lets him gain depth quickly when he’s backing out of shallow coverages. Brown has a compact build that packs a punch when he hits a player coming downhill. He’s feisty as a blitzer and shows no fear of initiating contact at the catch point. The New Jersey product reads the quarterback’s eyes and shows anticipation in coverage to jump routes for clean interceptions. He is a willing run defender who charges downhill to fill gaps and hammer the running back when he has a clear line of sight to the football. Some larger questions about Brown’s game remain unanswered. Penn State’s scheme and coverage assignments have something to do with this, but Brown often spends time covering empty space that doesn’t directly impact the play. This means there are a lot of reps where he doesn’t showcase the dynamic coverage traits NFL teams look for. There are moments where he locks onto the quarterback but remains in dead space rather than adjusting his coverage to what he sees. Brown earned a chunk of his ball production off of tipped passes that fell into his lap. Despite his occasional physicality, Brown had double-digit missed tackles in 2021 and sometimes displays a delayed downhill trigger. He’s not a twitchy or explosive athlete and lacks sideline-to-sideline range. His speed and reaction time sometimes lead to him being late to help the corner on outside routes. Brown doesn’t have prototypical height, and some hip tightness limits his ability to change directions. He bites on eye candy in the backfield and is slow to locate the football on play action and trick plays. Brown takes questionably steep angles to the ball carrier, which contributes to his tackling issues. His tackling technique is inconsistent as he sometimes forgets to wrap up and harmlessly bounces off of larger players.

Overall, Brown is a difficult prospect to project to the NFL because he has the athletic profile of a box player, but his best value in coverage comes from working in deep zones where he can read the quarterback and drive on shorter throws or undercut intermediate to deep routes. Brown projects as a late Day 3 selection who could go undrafted.

Role & Scheme Fit: Safety who primarily plays zone around the line of scrimmage

Round Projection: Mid Sixth to UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 10-13-22