Is Penn State's Jaquan Brisker Lions' No. 1 Safety of Future?
The safeties are the last line of defense, and it is one of the top reasons Detroit’s defense has been near the bottom in the entire league the past two seasons.
Could Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker help the Lions improve?
In my opinion, after watching Michigan running back Hassan Haskins and Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi steamroll Brisker in smash-mouth contests, it is highly unlikely.
One of the things to consider when scouting is the level of competition. If any player struggles to make solo tackles when matched up at the college level, it only stands to reason that he will struggle even more in the pros.
A guy like Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry would roll over Brisker like a school bus running over an empty can of Pepsi.
Being a secure and dependable tackler is extremely important for a safety, and Brisker is just not physically adequate enough at this position.
It’s not for a lack of effort with Brisker, either, as he brings it most of the time.
Brisker was definitely willing to come up in the box against Michigan and Wisconsin and pile on at or near the line of scrimmage. Brisker can also torpedo in clean once in a great while, and make a shoelace tackle for a loss.
However, it was obvious Brisker wanted less and less to do with tackling both Haskins and Mellusi, if they broke through the line of scrimmage (and especially as those games wore on). He appeared less and less in the picture, and he started to take questionable angles.
Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter also spun off of him in the backfield, and Brisker barely was able to trip him up another time in the open field.
Brisker could not even secure a tackle on a screen while one-on-one with Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Brisker is chippy. He is willing to stick his nose in there on a gang tackle or come in from the side. He finished the 2021 campaign with 63 total tackles (38 solo).
He flies around, and he looks more like a nickel corner trying to play safety. Brisker is good in coverage, but more so when matched up than when providing help in the deep halves.
The consensus in the draft pundit community is that Brisker is a first-round talent.
According to NFL Mock Draft Database, The Draft Network, The Denver Post, The Baltimore Sun and CBS Sports, Brisker will be taken by the Lions at No. 32 overall.
Other notable draft outlets have Brisker going in the first round between picks 19-31. They are as follows: NFL.com (No. 19), Fox Sports (No. 19), NJ.com (No. 21), NBC Sports (No. 23), Bleacher Report (No. 24), The Sporting News (No. 27), Pro Football Network (No. 27), Draft Wire (No. 28), For the Win (No. 28), Yahoo Sports (No. 30), FanSided (No. 31) and Pro Football Focus (No. 31).
The consensus grading on Brisker feels more like the result of an open-book test, rather than watching what he put on film.
Detroit needs more from its defensive backs than someone who slides off of tackling attempts, as Brisker did against Wisconsin tight end Jake Ferguson.
Rich Barnes, USA TODAY Sports
#1 Jaquan Brisker - 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
2021 game film reviewed: Michigan, Wisconsin, Auburn and Ohio State
Grade: Fifth round (as a safety)
Scouting Report
Competitive safety with good pure speed and toughness, who lacks the playing strength and physicality to be successful at safety in the NFL. He graded out as a third-round nickel corner. Lined up deep or down in the box pre-snap. Not a factor if blocked. Tough and willing to come in and assist if he was clean or ended up by the pile.
Struggles in tackling situations matched up one-on-one and head on. Not a sure or dependable tackler in the open field. Matched up well in coverage when carrying routes. Stayed tight when matched up with an assignment. Deflected a pass at the end of the Auburn game, and made a key interception against Wisconsin late. Outside of that, arrived after the fact most of the time. Came in on a handful of blitz attempts, but not a factor. A tweener who is not going to be a traditional fit.
He was not enough of a playmaker in coverage -- and certainly not as a tackler -- to be considered a high-impact player in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Brisker did a lot of little things well, but I honestly do not see the difference between Brisker and moving a nickel corner to safety.
