Another key player from Penn State’s defense is now an NFL draft pick. Safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft with the 24th pick of the third round and 87th overall pick. It was the first pick of the draft for the 49ers.
Brown was one of the many players to come to Penn State from Lackawanna College from the JUCO ranks. After playing two seasons of JUCO football, Brown committed to Penn State and joined the Nittany Lions in 2020. After one season as a backup, Brown emerged as a playmaker in the Nittany Lions secondary playing alongside former draft pick Jaquan Brisker, who also came to Penn State from Lackawanna College a year before Brown
Brown ended his Penn State career with 153 tackles in three seasons, including the shortened 2020 season. Brown came up with 10 interceptions, including six in 2021.
The Penn State safety went out on top with the Nittany Lions by being a key player in Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory to cap the 2022 season. Brown earned the game’s defensive MVP honor after recording 1.5 sacks and coming up with a 22-yard interception against Pac-12 champion Utah in the final game of his college career.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1121]
[mm-video type=video id=01gz52pefydyg32f1ypf playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gz52pefydyg32f1ypf/01gz52pefydyg32f1ypf-f9d305d00f3e29045051bce83a998f4a.jpg]