The Philadelphia Eagles selected Illinois safety Sydney Brown in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 66th overall.
Brown spent five seasons with Illinois and finished his college career with 320 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 10 interceptions.
Brown should help fill the void that C.J. Gardner-Johnson's departure created.
Pre-draft profile
The ultimate highlight-reel safety, Brown's tape has everything you like to see. He's got an abundance of ball skills with six interceptions last season, and he can deliver a pop when he lays the wood on ball carriers. His physicality at the catch point leads to a lot of incompletions while he's also stout on the edge of the box as a run defender. Brown is capable of serving in a variety of coverage responsibilities such as shallow zones, the slot, or center field. He can also match up against tight ends, though he struggles against more athletic pass-catchers. That carries over to wide receivers, as he is slow to flip his hips and change directions. His route to the pros involves plugging him in the box, capitalizing on his tenacity, or as a split safety where he can focus on specific coverage duties that hide his deficiencies.
