By: Michael Higgins

School: Illinois (Senior)

Position: SAF

HT: 6’0

WT: 200 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #64

Sydney Brown is an athletic safety out of Illinois that projects as an every down player at the next level. Brown was a 3-star recruit out of Ontario, Canada (!!) and did not receive any D1 offers aside from Illinois. Brown is a 5th year senior, so he has had time to develop in college and is certainly more pro-ready than some of the other safety prospects. Brown went to finish his high school career in Florida where he was a star in both football and track with his twin brother, Chase, who is also on the Illinois football team.

Brown shows his track background on full display when he is patrolling the back end of the defense. The safety also uses his athleticism in an effective way. He is productive and does not waste his athletic ability, giving great effort and energy on every snap. He has an innate ability to close in on the ball no matter where he was originally positioned on the field. Brown is, as discussed, one of those athletic safeties with great acceleration and he is rangy in coverage. He can be seen playing all over the field when you turn on the Illinois tape. He was positioned within the box as a strong side linebacker quite frequently, but he also played coverage in the slot, and also a more traditional safety role. With athletic safeties, sometimes they lack the ball skills to pair with the athleticism, not Sydney Brown though. Brown managed to haul in 6 interceptions while racking up 7 passes defended in his 2022 campaign. On a defense with plenty of playmakers, Brown was able to be a main source of big play production. He acted as a quarterback of the defense on the back end and has great instincts to put himself in the best position to make a play.

Brown plays in the box at Illinois, but he doesn’t have the size to do that consistently in the NFL. He won’t be able to effectively cover the bigger tight ends in the league. With this lack of size, also comes a lack of length. He is an inconsistent tackler, not for a lack of trying, he just does not have the facilities to consistently wrap up the bigger ball carriers he sees. Sydney Brown is a pro-ready safety with great coverage skills and the ability to make splash plays. He displays great leadership as one of the leaders of that Illinois defense and can patrol the back end with his tangy athleticism. His length holds him back from wrapping up the ball carriers consistently but he makes up for this deficiency in his game in other ways.

Sydney Brown can be the ultimate disruptor for a defense. He will not be taken in the first round, but can end up being a true gem in the following rounds if used correctly.

Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile

Ideal Role: Strong Safety

Best Team Fits: CHI, PHI, LVR

Player Comparison: Quandre Diggs

Player Grade: 77.6