Getty Ji'Ayir Brown during defensive back drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
The San Francisco 49ers have become the recipient of not-so-praiseful 2023 NFL draft grades by analysts and fans. However, the Niners have received a bevy of praise for one aggressive move they made on day two.
That move on Friday, April 29 witnessed the franchise send off three draft picks to the Minnesota Vikings to move from No. 99 to the 87th pick of the third round. And they snatched Ji’Ayir Brown of Penn State from there to address the safety spot first.
One notable praise for that aggressive draft day tactic was from NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah who compared the Nittany Lion to one 2017 Pro Bowl safety.
“Ji’Ayir Brown was my top safety in this class. Reminds me a lot of Micah Hyde,” Jeremiah posted on Twitter.
The same Hyde who has 590 career tackles, 22 interceptions, 17 tackles for a loss and five sacks per Pro Football Reference.
Even before the Niners swooped up Brown, Jeremiah was on the Brown train back in March before the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
“He is my top safety in the entire draft…he has corner skill, he can play in the middle of the field. He has ball production. You can drop him down low if you want. He is tough. He is physical,” Jeremiah said via a conference call with reporters.
Praise Continued From There for Brown
Jeremiah wasn’t alone in lauding this move the 49ers made. Fans and analysts also chimed in.
“We got my guy. I’m Excited,” Wayne Breezie of 49ers Webzone said.
One 49er fan gave Brown an even more telling comparison: A Super Bowl-winning safety from the 2010s decade.
“We got our Earl Thomas,” the fan said, referencing the perennial Pro Bowl safety who was part of the “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawk teams including the 2013 season Super Bowl champions.
The @SFNiners account were another who had high praise for the Brown pick.
#49ers got a DAWG in Ji’Ayir Brown 😤
General manager John Lynch himself told the Bay Area media that Brown was a high priority for the 49ers.
“Everybody in the building wanted that guy [Ji’Ayir Brown]. He was our top target of the guys we identified that we thought had the best chance of being there in the third where we picked,” Lynch told reporters.
Brown Reveals ‘Loud’ Conversation When Draft Moment Happened
Brown had a loud conversation on his draft moment — literally.
He shared with the Bay Area media that Steve Wilks was trying to converse with him…but it became difficult due to the excited loud chatter coming inside the 49ers’ draft room.
“I got the call from the DC. It was so loud in there, I could barely hear them,” Brown recalled. “I was trying to talk to them and all the family was screaming around me and I was trying to get away from them so I could hear. It was amazing. It was a great feeling that can only come once in your lifetime, so I’m definitely taking in this moment. I’m very appreciative.”
He’s now adding some youth to a veteran-led safety room. Even with longtime defender Jimmie Ward off to Houston, the 49ers still have Pro Bowlers Tashaun Gipson and 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga. He was asked if he’s already established a rapport with them.
“No, I did not talk to any of them but I’m more excited than anybody to conversate with those guys, learn from those guys, piggyback off of each other and see how we can help this team win a Super Bowl,” Brown said.
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49ers’ 5th-Round Find Earns Comparison to Pro Bowl Safety