Film Don't Lie: DJ Brown
The Irish offered DJ Brown in December and then had to back off when it appeared that there would be no room in the class for him. Things opened up and then they decided to approach the Under Armour All-American again.
Fortunately things worked out and Brown becomes another nice defensive back addition to the class. Although Brown plays corner for St. John’s College (Washington, DC), I think the strengths of his game translate well to safety too. We’ll see where he ends up in the long term for Notre Dame, but all that matters right now is that they were able to add another versatile player that makes them deeper.
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185
Projected Position: Corner or free safety
ISD Grade: 88 (3 star)
National Average Grade: 85.8 (3 star)
What he does best:
Notre Dame went from 105th in the nation in passes defensed in 2016 to 40th last season. Julian Love and the cornerbacks led the way by getting their hands on the football often. That’s one thing Brown is really good at. He’s great at working through the catch point of a receiver and disrupting the football.
On this play the ball placement on the throw is good by the quarterback, but Brown’s length and determination to finish creates an incompletion.
One thing that allows him to be in a position to break up passes are his instincts. He does a terrific job of recognizing routes. There are a ton of plays where he shows great eye discipline in zone that get him in the correct spot. He excels at jumping routes too, just like this hitch where he almost comes away with a pick six. He saw that receiver turn then his recognition and short area quickness made it possible for him to blow up the play.
Those instincts show up against the run and perimeter pass game as well. Before the blocker even puts his hands on Brown, this is diagnosed and shut down.
Brown is a physical player too. He will come up and lay lick when he tackles and he is going to make a receiver pay the toll on anything caught in front of him. I didn’t get to see much of it from his film, but he flashed a little as a blitzer too. This is a great job coming downhill off the edge to make this tackle for loss.
I don’t see a stiff hipped player when he has to open up and he shows some quick feet as well. He’s a very solid all-around football player.
What he needs to improve:
I’m not sure about his top end speed and if he can turn and run with anyone that might be considered a burner. Speed can be improved, but only to a point. So that is something I have that I question a bit with Brown.
There are other corners that are more natural athletes out there that can get away with being sloppy with their technique and have their athleticism overcome it. I don’t see that with Brown and think he needs to be a true technician. I’d like to see him clean up his footwork and keep himself within his frame more often. If he does that, then I think he can overcome not being the fastest player on the field. If he doesn’t, then he may have some trouble against players with elite change of direction skills.
I’d like to see him finish with interceptions more as well. I’m not sure if it’s his hands as much as a concentration thing, but he needs to improve in this area.
What’s his ceiling?
I think Brown is capable of playing either the field or boundary corner and that he can really thrive playing in zone coverage. I’m not sure if he is has the potential be an elite player in man coverage, though, although his physicality and instincts can help him be an effective player in most schemes.
I think his ceiling is probably higher at safety than it is at corner, but he does a lot of things well. Mike brought up Robert Blanton when we spoke about Brown on Power Hour recently and I think he’s a good player comparison for Brown’s ceiling.
Blanton wasn’t the fastest or the biggest player in the secondary, but he made a number of plays for the Irish based off of superior instincts and a great compete level. I see some of Blanton in Brown’s game and Blanton ended up as a safety in the NFL. It’s a long way before we know if Brown has an NFL future or not, but I think he has a chance to be a good contributor for the Irish that can make plays versus the run and pass.