Draft stock for Brown continuing to climb
INDIANAPOLIS — A staple of NFL draft season is the player comparison. Without fail, they pop up this time of year. No prospect is immune.
Take Ji’Ayir Brown for example. The Penn State safety has been likened to multiple players, past and present. His NFL.com profile features a comparison to former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, a Pro Bowler and Super Bowl winner. Not too shabby.
But when asked about that comp at the NFL combine, Brown didn’t take the bait.
“There’s a lot of talk comparing me to a lot of guys. At the end of the day, I’m myself,” Brown said Thursday. “I feel like I’m an original player. It’s what I do in this sport. I don’t like to compare myself to anybody or try to be anybody. I’m Ji’Ayir Brown.”
And turns out, being Ji’Ayir Brown is good enough to get the draft community talking.
Brown’s stock is rising as April approaches. In January, Brown ranked as the ninth-best safety, per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. The All-Big Ten selection was also left off the top 50 overall rankings compiled by NFL Network expert Daniel Jeremiah.
But after a few more weeks of film study and all-star games, Brugler and Jeremiah moved Brown up their boards. The two-time captain now slots as Brugler’s third-ranked safety while Jeremiah said he’ll be moving him into his next top 50.
“I think he’s my top safety in the entire draft,” Jeremiah added last week. “He’s one of my favorite guys to watch in this draft. … I’m a big fan of his.”
Hearing that doesn’t necessarily surprise Brown. He had the production, generating 15 takeaways over the last two seasons. And he had impressive tape.
“The film speaks for itself,” Brown said, asked if he feels like he’s the top safety in the draft. “Whoever’s the best is truly opinionated. Coaches watch the film. Fans watch the film. Media watch the film. They go off of who they feel is best.”
Whether or not he’s the first, second or third-ranked safety, Brown is in a good spot right now. Ranking inside Jeremiah’s top 50 puts him firmly in the Day 2 conversation, if he wasn’t already considered a second- or third-round pick.
Brown’s position should feel familiar. It was only a year ago that Jaquan Brisker provided the blueprint.
Brisker was an instant success after being drafted No. 48 overall by the Chicago Bears. The former Penn State safety started all 15 games he played in and tallied 104 tackles and a team-leading four sacks.
Brisker and Brown are close. The two played at Lackawanna College together before transferring to Penn State in 2019 and 2020, respectively. They started alongside each other in the Nittany Lions’ secondary in 2021. Brown had 73 tackles and six interceptions while Brisker had 64 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and two picks.
“That’s my brother,” Brown said of Brisker. “He was definitely a mentor for me coming in. I had my first workout with him. He showed me the ropes, showed me the defense, showed me the ins and outs of how to be a college athlete. And before I came to the combine, we sat and talked about what to expect.”
The combine can be a lot with the poking and prodding that goes on in meetings and interviews. But Brown was his usual calm, cool self during Thursday’s media session. One can assume he maintained that in talks with coaches and scouts.
Brown said that, as of Thursday morning, he had formal meetings with six or seven teams, including the Steelers, Saints, Chargers and Jets.
Brown has a lot to sell to NFL teams. He moved all over Penn State’s defense, especially last season under new coordinator Manny Diaz. Brown was still a ballhawk with three interceptions and two forced fumbles. But he also recorded 5 tackles for loss and three sacks as he blitzed more frequently in Diaz’s scheme. Brown joked that he even watched Von Miller highlights to prepare as a pass rusher.
He embodied that do-everything approach in his final college game. Brown was named Rose Bowl defensive MVP after compiling eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pick.