My Day 2 guys

[FairOaks]

Brown is undersized which I don’t like but every other trait is there.

He's underheight, but seems fine with weight, so seems more stocky than undersized. 6th percentile in height, but 69th in weight. The athletic testing stuff was all extremely high, and he has huge hands, which may help explain his ball-hawkness.

https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/sydney-brown

Just about every writeup I see mentions his poor tackling technique, which leads to many missed tackles, though he can lay the wood too. Maybe that is something that can be fixed. Most everything else sounds good.

He has a twin brother who is a running back who will likely also get drafted today.

[andrewaters]

Haha I just saw a pic of Brown running at the combine. I take back my undersized comment. He is shorter than I like but the kid is a TRUCK.

For today I like…

xavier Hutchinson
deuce Vaughn
antonio johnson
andrew vorhees
at perry

all of these guys would require a move up

[taz]

Funny you say he can’t tackle and one of the first things Ray Didinger said was what a good tackler he is.

Yeah again I don't watch 50 games of these guys. I watch a couple. I saw him miss to many tackles. Some others said the same thing. Doesn't mean he can't improve that. Again I am fine with the pick just preferred a few guys ahead him. He wasn't a reach so I am fine with it.

[dawkins20]

Isn’t CGJ 5”11 210? Basically the same size. Just way better tackler. Johnson better in coverage.

[flyered]

Who ?

STRENGTHS: Thick, sculpted physique and looks like an “action figure,” according to coaches ... strict about nutrition and how he trains his body ... quick first step with above-average acceleration in pursuit ... football smart and diagnoses the run without wasting steps ... fills with purpose and control to stay underneath blocks or arrive at the ball carrier with violence ... physical in coverage (Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta: “Brown was the best player I faced. He’s tough, fast, physical.”) ... baits the quarterback into thinking he is wrapped or a step behind the route ... notched six interceptions as a senior and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns ... voted a senior captain and competes with a warrior temperament ... has the makeup needed for special teams and was a productive gunner on punt coverages in 2022 ... played a lot of college football with 50 career starts.
WEAKNESSES: Tight hips dull the sharpness of his change of direction ... lacks suddenness in coverage and struggles to match the burst of wide receivers and some tight ends ... allows too much space in coverage at times and is late in his drive/disrupt ... physical striker, but inconsistent finisher as a tackler ... needs to rely more on wrap-and-drive technique instead of the power in his shoulder ... must become more disciplined with his block anticipation and take-on skills near the line of scrimmage ... NFL scouts mention a history of concussions.
SUMMARY: A five-year starter at Illinois, Brown played strong safety in former defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ scheme and lined up primarily in the box with some reps in the slot. After four solid seasons, he returned to the Illini in 2022 and played his best football with a Big Ten-best six interceptions, giving him 10 for his career (most since Eugene Wilson had 11 from 1999-2002). Brown plays with excellent leverage as a run defender along with the physicality and angles to make quick stops. Although his lack of explosiveness is clear versus wide receivers, he stays square in his drops versus tight ends with the smooth movements to be in the right place at the right time. Overall, Brown needs to shore up his tackling skills and discipline for NFL box duties, but he is instinctive while playing at full speed and leaves everything he has on the field. His value for an NFL team will be as a core special-teamer and rotational/subpackage box safety.
GRADE: 4th Round

Above from The Athletic’s Dane Bruegler on Brown - ranks him 10th safety, altho this is all just opinions.

[musicman]

This guy’s opinion means nothing to me, I don’t rank him in the group that knows anything about anything. Everyone else seems to see him differently. Dude looks pretty good to me and played for a major college and played a ton

[Eagle60]

This guy’s opinion means nothing to me, I don’t rank him in the group that knows anything about anything. Everyone else seems to see him differently. Dude looks pretty good to me and played for a major college and played a ton

[flyered]

Watched the short film about the Brown brothers on Eagle web site - very very cool. Happy to root for a kid like that.

[musicman]

They were on Good Morning Football last week, hard not to root for kids like that