Sydney Brown scouting report: 2023 NFL Draft profile, prospect ranking

Former Illinois Fighting Illini safety Sydney Brown has plenty of college football seasons worth of experience with five years before getting ready for the NFL Draft as he looks to get his pro career started.

Brown added up 320 total tackles including 10 for loss with two sacks. He picked off 10 passes in his college career including six in 2022. He had 16 passes defended with four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery that went for one of his three defensive touchdowns in his career.

Sydney Brown: Scouting Report

Brown has the mindset needed to excel as a safety with his ability to play physically. He showed a real nose for the football in his final college football season when he had seven takeaways with two touchdowns. Brown is a strong defender in the passing game against tight ends and is willing to get after it in the running game.

As for cons, Brown could use work in pass coverage when he's expected to play man-to-man coverage, and he needs to shore up his work as a tackler, especially as the last line of defense.

Mock Draft landing spots

Brown is averaging around the third round in mock drafts but could go as early as the second or as late as the fourth. ESPN's Matt Miller has him going to the Packers in the third round as a steal, and CBS' Ryan Palmer sees the Raiders grabbing him in the third. The Athletic's Dane Brugler drops him to the Broncos in Round 4, and NFL.com's Chad Reuter sees the Steelers snapping him up as early as the second round.

  
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