It is difficult not to love the story of Ji’Ayir Brown. The former JUCO player became a key player for the Penn State defense in the last couple of seasons. Playing alongside Jaquan Brisker and Joey Porter Jr. at times left Brown being a little overshadowed, but few players made as many key plays for the Penn State defense as Brown. Now, the Rose Bowl defensive MVP is looking to make a name for himself at the next level.
The NFL combine showed some of the reasons scouts may be slightly concerned about Brown’s skill at the next level. Simply put, Brown is not the athletic freak some of the other top safety prospects will be. But what Brown lacks in athleticism, he more than makes up for in production. And few players will leave as solid an impression as Brown once you get to talk to him.
Here is a look at all of the NFL combine results for Ji’Ayir Brown.
Measurables
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 02: Ji’Ayir Brown #DB41 of Penn State speaks with the media during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 02, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Height: 6’2.5″
Weight: 193 lbs
Arm: 34″
Hand: 10″
40-yard dash
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Official time: 4.65
It is little secret that Ji’Ayir Brown wasn’t about to light the world on fire with his 40-yard dash time. He ended up turning in the third-slowest 40-time among safeties at the combine, which was a tad disappointing to see.
Pittsburgh’s Brandon Hill led all safeties with a 4.43 seconds. The Illinois duo of Jartaviis Martin (4.46) and Syndney Brown (4.47) and Minnesota’s Jordan Howden (4.49) all had top-five times among safety prospects.
10-yard split
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Ji’Ayir Brown of Penn State participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Official split time: 1.56
Ji’Ayir Brown was more in the middle of the pack of the safeties when it came to his first 10 yards in the 40-yard dash. The range of 10-yard split times for safeties largely came between 1.5 seconds and 1.6 seconds, with just one player coming in faster (Jartavius Martin of Illinois at 1.47 seconds) and one player clocking in slightly slower (Tyreque Jones of Boise State at 1.61 seconds).
Vertical jump
Mar 2, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive back Ji’Ayir Brown (DB41) speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Official record: 32.5″
The vertical jump was not particularly kind to Ji’Ayir Brown compared to his fellow safety prospects. Brown had the fifth-lowest vertical jump at the combine in his position group, and he was one of five players not to go at least 33 inches.
Jartavius Martin of Illinois had the best vertical jump among safeties with a 44.00″ inch vertical jump. The next closest player was Oklahoma State’s Jason Taylor II, who was a full inch lower at 43.00″. Sydney Brown of Illinois had the third-best vertical jump form the safeties with 40.50 inches.
Broad jump
Mar 2, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive back Ji’Ayir Brown (DB41) speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Official distance: 9’11”
Ji’Ayir Brown was one of the nine safeties not to have a broad jump going at least 10 feet, which was just below average for the position group. Only one player went more than 10 feet, and that was Jartavius Martin of Illinois. Martin left an incredible 11’1″ to outpace everyone. The next nine players on the board ranged from 10’1″ and 10’10”.
NFL Combine Grade
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Ji’Ayir Brown of Penn State participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
NFL Combine Grades: 6.36
While the numbers may be lacking in the position group, Ji’Ayir Brown still has the overall look of a player who will be drafted. The athleticism score from the NFL’s next-gen stats was a bit upsetting to see following his overall combine performance, but there are other strong indicators going in Brown’s favor as he approaches the draft.
What Brown lacks in athleticism compared to others, he more than makes up for in production. The NFL’s next-gen stats gave Brown the best production score among safeties with an 89. His athleticism score brought him down (56, 18th among safeties), but he still leaves the combine as the second-best rated safety with a total score of 79. And the overall assessment of Brown suggests Brown will eventually be a plus starter in the NFL.
So all in all, this combined experience appears to have treated Brown pretty well.