Ji'Ayir "Tig" Brown-S-Penn State, 3rd round 2023 Draft

Originally posted by 9erReign:
Typical Lynch drafting a bust in a position we don't need.

How do you mean? We just lost Jimmie Ward.

Interesting pick. Hope it works out. My Draft crushes for first pick were gone, so I'm a bit disappointed, but hope it works out.

Can't wait for the rest of the picks tonight!

Yes!!!! He's one of the safeties I wanted in this range.

Im wondering what they envision for him. Looks like he could play both safety positions and slot. Doesnt matter if your DBs arent that fast when you dont expect the QB to have much time to throw the ball. Im thinking 49ers about to take a DE and OT with the next two picks

4. JI'AYIR BROWN | Penn State 5113 | 203 lbs. | 5SR Trenton, N.J. (Central) 1/25/2000 (age 23.26) #16

BACKGROUND: Ji'Ayir (jeye-AIR) "Tig" Brown is one of four children and grew up in the Donnelly Homes neighborhood in North Trenton. He started playing flag football before graduating to Pop Warner, lining up at quarterback, running back and other positions. Brown attended Trenton Central High School where he was a four-year varsity letterman, seeing playing time as a freshman. An all-purpose weapon on offense and cornerback on defense, he earned all-conference honors as a junior captain with 232 receiving yards, 134 rushing yards as well as 44 tackles. As a senior captain, Brown was named first team all-state and all-conference with 111.3 all-purpose yards per game, adding 52 tackles and three interceptions. He scored a touchdown six different ways in 2017: rushing, receiving, passing, interception return, kick return and punt return. Brown also lettered in basketball and averaged 12.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and a state-best 6.7 steals per game as a senior, leading the team to the state playoff semifinals. Brown wasn't ranked by recruiting services in the 2018 class. His academics and low SAT numbers led to him being overlooked by FBS programs. Brown received interest from the Division III level (Montclair State) and junior colleges, but signing day came and went without any scholarship offers. After his high school graduation in July 2018, he received a late offer from Lackawanna Junior College and joined the football team a week later. Brown moved to safety and started alongside Jaquan Brisker in the secondary, helping Lackawanna to an undefeated 11-0 record in 2018 with 40 tackles and five interceptions. As a sophomore, he earned juco All-American honors and was named the conference's defensive player of the year with 35 tackles and three interceptions, leading Lackawanna to the 2019 championship game. A three-star juco recruit, Brown attended a Penn State camp the summer before his sophomore year and received a scholarship offer as a safety, following in the footsteps of Brisker (Brown: "That's my brother, more than just a friend."). His mother (Joy Ingram) gave him the nickname, "Tig," short for "Tigger" from Winnie-the-Pooh, because of the way he would bounce around as a kid. Brown took advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic and returned for a fifth season in 2022. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Competes with a contact-driven mentality and loves to get busy downhill ... quality run fitter and isn't shy throwing his body around ... urgently runs the alley on sweeps and screens ... plays with a wide base as an open-field tackler ... matches the physicality of tight ends and receivers in coverage ... quick to read run/pass ... good enough range to make plays on the ball outside the numbers ... consistently finds the ball before it arrives ... swallows the football with his massive hands and doesn't let interception opportunities go to waste ... shows a natural feel for when to roll the dice ... energetic tone-setter on defense and voted a senior captain in 2022 (NFL scout: "I wish all our guys practiced like this dude. ... Would make my job a lot easier.") ... driven competitor and earned the "Iron Lion" award for his strength and training work in the PSU program ... made plays on punt coverage, including a forced fumble in 2022 ... started every game the past two seasons.

WEAKNESSES: Arrives too hot and needs to be more controlled as a tackler ... gets himself in trouble when he drops his shoulder to deliver blows instead of using proper wrap technique ... prematurely leaves his feet and allows lesser athletes to juke him in space ... strength doesn't always match his intentions when engaged with blockers near the line of scrimmage ... overeager to make plays and frantic pursuit leads to wasted steps ... doesn't explode out of his transitions and has man-cover limitations ... can be manipulated from deep coverage by savvy quarterbacks.

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Penn State, Brown was a versatile safety in defensive coordinator Manny Diaz's man/zone schemes, rotating between single-high and box responsibilities (played primarily cover-6 in 2022). After the juco level was his only option out of high school, he developed into an All-Big Ten safety and led the Nittany Lions in interceptions as a junior and senior (he is the only player in this draft class with double-digit interceptions over the past two seasons). Although he will attack before diagnosing at times, Brown is often "Johnny on the spot" with his big-play hunting instincts. He filled the leadership shoes of Jaquan Brisker in 2022, as Diaz describes Brown as a "warrior," the type of player you get to coach "once every five years." He fills fast and is aggressive in run support, but he must improve his angles and tackling balance to become a more consistent finisher versus NFL athletes. Overall, Brown must introduce more discipline and body control in his play, but he is a physical presence versus the run with the anticipation and ball skills to match up in coverage. He has the football character and skill set of an interchangeable starting safety at the next level.

GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 84 overall)

-Dane Brugler

I know nothing about this player or college players in general. I just typically hate small DBs.

i guess we call him Tig Brown. should be in the thread title.

Originally posted by SteveWallacesHelmet:
I know nothing about this player or college players in general. I just typically hate small DBs.

So you didn't like jimmy ward?

Reserve judgment until we see him play. Not a thrilling pick but yeah, ok.

Originally posted by 9erReign:

Typical Lynch drafting a bust in a position we don't need.

Oh Reign... keep being you.

Ji'Ayir Brown NFL Draft Profile

Position: Safety
School: Penn State
Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 5'11", 210 pounds
Length: 31 1/4″
Wingspan: 75″
Hand: 10 1/8″

Brown's explosive emergence in 2021 made it feel like he was at Penn State much longer than he actually was. In truth, Brown didn't arrive on the Nittany Lions' campus until 2020, after spending two seasons at Lackawanna Community College, under head coach Mark Duda.

Brown was teammates with Brisker at Lackawanna during the 2018 season, before Brisker made the leap to the FBS level. He was a year behind Brisker, but you couldn't tell by the tape. Brown put up five interceptions and three deflections in his first year with the Falcons. In his second year, he added three picks and five more pass breakups.

Two years of top-notch production earned Brown a three-star recruit billing on the JUCO circuit. That billing, along with his connection to Brisker, carried him to Penn State. And after a year of mainly special teams and rotational action, he burst onto the scene in 2021.

You won't find many safeties with more impressive numbers than Brown. In 2021, he logged 73 tackles, a TFL, six picks, five pass deflections, and a forced fumble. The 2022 season saw him add on 74 tackles, seven TFLs, 4.5 sacks, four picks, three deflections, and two more forced fumbles.

Also impressive are the reported numbers on the practice field. Brown was featured on Feldman's Freaks in the summer of 2022, with a documented 4.44 40-yard dash, a blistering 3.99 pro shuttle time, and a max bench of 370 pounds.

All of the contextual information leans in support of the 23-year-old rookie, but what does the tape say, and how do those numbers translate? Let's take a closer look, and discern Brown's role at the next level.

Strengths

Has a dense, compact frame with good mass and solid proportional length.
Shows great explosive capacity when attacking downhill and flashes good range.
Urgent short-area athlete with solid foot speed, lateral burst, and twitch.
Possesses enough hip fluidity to undergo 90-degree transitions and open his strides.
Quick processor who swiftly identifies route concepts and can flow to the ball in space.
Able to pass off and carry receivers in zone with his smooth short-area athleticism.
Flashes excellent play-recognition ability and can snuff out quick swings and screens.
Able to follow the QB's eyes in zone and adjust positioning with short-area athleticism.
Brings swift closing burst into contact in the box and aggressively engages as a tackler.
Natural playmaker who gravitates to the ball and can convert at the catch point.

Areas for Improvement

Initial explosiveness is visibly non-elite, sometimes requiring a runway to gear up.
Doesn't often play to his timed speed and appears to max out in space at times.
Can be more anticipatory in box coverage, sometimes playing himself out of position.
Sometimes a tick late to respond to in-breaking routes in zone and off-man.
Hips appear a bit stiff at times, contributing to a slight hitch when matching upfield.
Can play too tall on his backpedal and lacks elite matching ability in man.
Can be too hasty cutting across-face against blocks, opening running lanes.
Occasionally bounces off of opponents at contact and can better wrap up.
Sometimes overshoots pursuit angles in space and doesn't have elite recovery.

Like several other safeties in the 2023 NFL Draft class, Brown grades out on the Day 2 fringe, as a potential late Day 2 or priority Day 3 prospect. Odds are, without an all-star showing to back him up, he could fall to Day 3, depending on his testing. In that range, Brown has the traits to exceed his draft billing in the right role.

Testing shouldn't be an issue for Brown, who's on record with very good speed and agility metrics. On the field, those numbers don't always match up perfectly. While Brown has great explosiveness and above-average range, he's not a burner. And despite good short-area twitch, he lacks elite flexibility and change of direction.

Brown keeps his output steady with strong play-recognition ability, willing physicality, and exceptional playmaking ability. However, there's a strong argument to make that he doesn't have an elite trait in his arsenal. He's well-sized, intelligent, and valuable in both phases, but his ceiling may be capped a bit.

Nevertheless, with his size, explosiveness, and physicality, Brown translates very well in run defense. With his experience in two-high, single-high, and the box, he's equipped to handle a various amount of zone looks in coverage. He's likely best as a two-high strong safety at the next level, and while Brown doesn't have elite upside, he can be an above-average starter if given the opportunity.

-Ian Cummings (PFN)

I'm not mad at the pick. He was one of a few Safeties I liked in our range. But Antonio Johnson was still available

He can catch interceptions and blitz too.

not that it means anything but he got that look in his eye. that Lott/Willis/Bowman/BY look in his eye