CB Jordan Brown, South Dakota St.

6’0” – 201 lbs. – 4.51
Was a wide receiver in high school. Redshirted, practicing at both receiver and cornerback, then appeared in eleven games the following year before taking over a starting job in 2016, retaining that role for three seasons and totaling eight interceptions over that span to conclude his collegiate career. Well-built cornerback who took snaps on both the left and right sides of the defense and both the field and boundary sides. Often backpedals out of off-man coverage, but will also press regularly as well. Backpedal itself looks very nice; demonstrates good balance and quick feet, giving him an advantage over many corners in this class who tend to turn and run out of press on the majority of their snaps. Looks good flipping his hips to turn and run with opposing receivers. Not the fastest or most explosive player, but overall speed and athleticism are pro-caliber. Has good reaction times to receivers breaking off their routes, which allows him to provide tight coverage through the stem. Puts himself in position to break up throws even if his plant-and-drive burst is nothing special. Has a little bit more trouble navigating the congestion in the middle of the field. Has good footwork to match opposing releases from press-man, but would like to see him be more physical with his arms to disrupt timing; temperament is a little bit finesse, especially for a bigger cornerback. Also doesn’t have much stopping power as a run defender; willing to stick his nose in, but doesn’t play with the sort of power or physicality you’d expect given his size. Misses some arm tackles and even some attempts to hit and wrap opposing runners. Needs to keep the play in front of him, as he lacks the recovery speed to chase down opponents when caught flat-footed. Silver lining is that he gets good extension and understands positioning when taking on blocks, allowing him to funnel opposing runners back inside to help. Comes from an FCS program, so he’ll be making a big leap up in terms of the level of competition he’ll be playing. Nonetheless, his combination of size, technique, quickness, and pattern recognition is intriguing enough that it’s hard to believe he’ll slip much past the mid-rounds. Surest route to working his way up the depth chart will be by improving the overall level of physicality in his game.