NFL Draft Profile: Sydney Brown, Safety, Illinois Fighting Illini
In this story:
#30
Pos: S
Ht: 5100
Wt: 211
Hand: 1028
Arm: 3148
Wing: 7600
40: 4.47
DOB: 3/21/2000
Hometown: London, Ontario, CAN
High School: St. Stephens Episcopal
Eligibility: 2023
Sydney Brown
Illinois Fighting Illini
One-Liner:
Ball-hawking defensive back with tremendous pop in his hits.
Evaluation:
A deceptive, hard-hitting strong safety, Brown brings a high energy demeanor that teammates feed off. The swarming ball-hawk has been known to lay down some staggering hits, making opposing wideouts think twice about crossing the middle. The Canadian-born Brown hails from a football family, as his father Darren Issac, played in the CFL and his twin brother Chase, who is also on the NFL radar, starts at running back for the Illini. This will be his fifth season as a starter in Champaign, as he has racked up 262 career tackles, including 81 in 2021. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Brown has created a share of turnovers, including four interceptions and three forced fumbles, along with 13 pass deflections during his collegiate career thus far. The former high school track star should test extremely well at the NFL Combine but his experience, athleticism, smarts and production is what makes him such a valuable commodity.
Grade:
3rd Round
Quotes:
"You just gotta go for it," Brown said of his big hits. "I think it's one thing where as a safety, it's by chance (if the officials disqualify you for targeting). It's what they think; it's what they see. It's not based off of what you think, right? So you just gotta hope that your head's out of it and that's really it." -- Sydney Brown
Background:
Sydney Brown has been a dependable defensive player for Illinois. He started in ten games where he played both safety and nickel where he made fifty-five tackles and an interception on the season. He increased his playing time in 2019 to eleven games and was named by the coaches to All-Big Ten third team and had an impressive eighty-eight tackles and three interceptions. His Junior years in both 2020 and 2021 he made an impact, but 2019 was his most impactful season but will be a tremendous secondary player for his future team.
