Ji’Ayir Brown Draft Profile and Scouting Report

 

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Scouting Report: Penn State Nittany Lions, Safety, #16

 

 

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

5’11 3/8″ / 203 lbs.

Ji’Ayir Brown 40-Time – 4.65

 

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Draft Profile

Brown is a former cornerback prospect from Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey. According to 247sports, Brown flew under the radar in high school and did not receive a single offer. So, he decided to take his talent to Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania. After spending two seasons with the Falcons, he entered the transfer portal and was the 2nd best safety in JUCO portal. After receiving offers from Kent State and Penn State, he quickly decided that he wanted to play for the Nittany Lions.

According to ESPN, Brown got to play in his first season for Penn State. He played in six games and recorded 6 tackles and 1 PBU. The next season, he played significantly more snaps. In 13 games he recorded 73 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions, and 5 PBUs. During this season, he began to receive a lot of attention from NFL scouts. In his final season, he flew up my draft board due to his amazing season. He recorded 74 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 interceptions, and 4 PBUs. Then after this season, he received an invite to the Combine where he performed very well during the on-field drills.

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Strengths

 

Versatility

Throughout his three seasons with the Nittany Lions, Brown has lined up all over the field. A majority of his snaps were played in the free safety position. But, his high motor and skill set allows him to slide down to the slot. In soft coverage, he displays good hip mobility to mirror his target. He also has good foot speed to backpedal and stay with his target during their route. If needed, Brown can also play as a box linebacker to help stuff the run. I believe that Ji’Ayir Brown will be able to start day one for an NFL team as a nickel and maybe transition to safety over time.

 

Leadership

As mentioned earlier, Ji’Ayir Brown has played five seasons of collegiate football. When you watch his film, he looks like a leader on that defense because of how well he communicates on the field. He developed this skill after sitting behind Jaquan Brisker for two seasons before he got drafted by the Bears. Brown also plays with a very high motor. When he is on the field, it seems that his teammates feed off of his motor and they all play better as a unit.

 

Zone Coverage

Although Ji’Ayir Brown is effective in man coverage, he is at his best when in zone coverage. He is good at quickly working to his zone after the snap due to his acceleration and hip mobility. When sitting in his zone, he does a good job of keeping his eye on the QB. Once the QB begins their throwing motion, he can quickly react and make a play on the ball. If the ball is thrown into his zone, he can quickly jump the route and use his grip strength to make the catch.

 

Agility

Everytime I watched Brown on film, I was impressed with his agility. As I mentioned earlier, he has good hip mobility in man and zone coverage. When backpedaling, he is good at keeping his hips low so he can stay balanced and change direction quickly. His hip mobility allows him to change direction on a dime and stay with his target during their route break. In the open field, he also shows good lateral agility to adjust to any move the ball carrier makes.

 

Ball Skills

If you want to see his ball skills in action, go watch his on-field drills at the Combine. When the ball is thrown his way, he does a good job of tracking the ball over his shoulder. Then he uses his athleticism to go up and highpoint the ball. In congested areas, he shows amazing grip strength to hold onto the ball through contact. If he is not able to force a turnover, he also does a good job of working through his target to break up the pass.

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Weaknesses

 

Top Speed

Regardless of what position Brown plays in the NFL, I have concerns about his top speed. At the NFL combine, Brown ran a 4.65 40 which was the third slowest time by a safety. When you compare that time to all the corners as well, he would have had the slowest time. This slow of speed makes me concerned when he will have to defend against players that are running 4.3 40s at the combine.

 

Ball Hawk

I know this is contradicting what I said earlier but just hear me out. Brown plays with a high motor and is a natural at making a play on the ball. So much so, that these skills can hurt him on occasion. When watching his film, he had a tendency to be deceived by the eyes of an experienced QB like C.J. Stroud. If he doesn’t work on staying patient in coverage, he will get picked apart in the NFL.

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Draft Stock

Since the combine, nflmockdraftdatabase has Brown as the 129th player in the NFL Draft. This would mean that he would likely go toward the end of the 4th round. Personally, I think that he should be ranked higher than that and had potential to go toward the top of the 3rd round.

 

Final Thoughts on Ji’Ayir Brown Scouting Report

Ji’Ayir Brown is one of the most slept on safeties in this draft class. His high motor that allows him to line up anywhere on the field and get the job done. Brown is also very light on his feet and can bring down the ball carrier in open field. His best game is when he is lined up in deep coverage as a free safety. This allows him to sit in his zone and read the QB’s eyes and make a play on the ball. Additionally, he is a natural ball catcher that can track the ball over his shoulder and highpoint it. Going forward, Brown needs to work on staying patient in coverage as well as increasing his top speed.

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Player Comparison

Former Stanford Cardinal and reigning Super Bowl Champion Justin Reid.

 

Ji’Ayir Brown Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis