Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: S Sydney Brown, Illinois
The Las Vegas Raiders have less than a month to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft, and while the team has made a few defensive free-agency signings, there is still plenty to do via the draft.
The safety position seemed to take a wrong turn this season, and after a few roster moves, the Raiders find themselves looking for dependable and versatile defenders in the secondary.
Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler will be tasked to bring in help, and one of those players may be a member of the Fighting Illini.
Safety Sydney Brown, Illinois Fighting Illini
“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,” NFL Draft Bible said of Brown.
Brown was part of a loaded secondary, yet with all that talent surrounding him, he still managed to have a productive season.
The five-year starter managed to rack up 59 tackles (40 solos), 3.5 tackles for losses, one sack, six interceptions, seven pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
His efforts in the season earned him an All-Big Ten first-team selection from the coaches.
The Fighting Illini safety has been known as a ballhawk and hard-hitter, but Brown also has plenty of physicality and versatility in his game.
Brown can cover tight ends as a big nickel slot defender, play single high safety and is quick and strong enough to come down to the line of scrimmage.
There are more positives than negatives regarding his film, and at 6 feet and 205 pounds, Brown has the prototypical size and length for safety in today’s game.
At the 2023 Scouting Combine, his overall performance score was the highest in Athleticism score (89) among all defensive backs. His 4.47 40-yard dash demonstrates he can keep up with many pass catchers, especially tight ends and deep-threat receivers.
Brown sat out the ReliaQuest Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, later to accept an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl. He had a great showing at Mobile, displaying to scouts that he could still perform without the surrounding talent.
"We're doing our work on everybody and trying to do our due diligence on every spot in the draft," McDaniels said. "We know we pick high in every round basically, so it's an opportunity that you hope you don't have a whole lot of, but we're going to try to take full advantage of if we can this year."
The Raiders' draft capital will allow them to draft a player like Brown on the second day, possibly in the third round.
But as many drafts have gone over the past few years, many safeties have fallen to the later rounds of the draft, which would allow the Raiders to get other necessities in the earlier rounds instead.
The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period began at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this offseason.
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