Photo by Illinois Athletics

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
5'11"	211 lbs.	31 1/2"	10 1/4"

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
4.47 Sec	23 Reps	40.5"	10'10"	N/A	N/A

Games	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Pass defended	Interceptions	Forced Fumbles	Touchdowns
50	320	10.0	2.0	16	10	4	3

Pros

• Phenomenal athlete on the back end of the defense.

• Tremendous physique with plenty of muscle and power to handle any given role.

 

• Highly versatile safety prospect with snaps all over the defense.

 

• Athleticism and explosiveness in coverage is evident in zone with his very big area code on the back end.

 

• Hits receivers hard in the air in an attempt to dislodge the football.

 

• Not bullied by tight ends in press coverage with his ability to match their and at times overpower them off routes.

 

• Can make very difficult catches look easy in coverage with more than a few diving attempts on the football.

 

• Phenomenal ball skills for the position make him a threat to come away with the football every time he has a chance.

 

• Excellent speed and explosiveness makes him a potential single high safety in the NFL.

 

• Has incredible burst on the football gives him a better chance than most to make play.

 

• Used much more in the box as a blitzer in 2022, showing strong promise as a potential hybrid linebacker.

 

• Three touchdowns defensively showing ability to take turnovers to the house and change outcomes of games.

• Attacks the line of scrimmage with no fear in the run game.

• Has the size and explosiveness to drill runners coming at him head on.

• Tries to strip the football or punch it out when ever he gets his chance to.

 

• Tough player that gives everything he has on every play.

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• Good motor throughout contest.

Cons

• More straight-line speed that overall agility.

• Not often used as a blitzer in college.

 

• Lack of overall agility can get him eaten up in man coverage.

 

• Can at times fail to tackle receivers after the catch, leading to big plays against him. 

 

• Tackling technique needs work.

 

• Man coverage technique needs significant polish with lacking fluidity in his back pedal.

 

• Very reactive to fakes and play action, often getting him out of position.

 

• Struggles with pre-snap diagnosis at times and fully relies upon a play to develop in his favor.

 

• Immensely talented secondary around him helped force quarterbacks to throw bad passes in his direction.

 

• Can overshoot jumps on passes, missing opportunities and occasionally the play.

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• Only one season stellar production in college career.

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• Short arms give him small tackle radius as well as struggles with contesting catches.

Overview

Sydney Brown has been a swiss army knife for the Illinois defense the past few seasons as the fighting Illini have continually tried to exploit his excellent athletic gifts. He has seen action as safety, cornerback, linebacker, and on occasion this season as a pass rusher when asked to blitz and while I believe his NFL future is at safety with potential come down from his perch and mix it up on run downs as a linebacker. His propensity for making He has to polish his overall game up significantly as for every great play of his their seems to be another he gives up but the tools and talent are there for good defensive mind to mold into a productive player.