49ers use their 1st draft pick, a 3rd-rounder, on Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown
Share this post:
When a safety gets his hands on the football as often as Ji’Ayir Brown did for Penn State, the NFL is sure to notice.
The San Francisco 49ers made the investment in Brown on Friday night when they drafted him in the third round. It was the 87th pick overall and the first by the 49ers in the first three rounds.
Brown contributed to or sealed the deal on 15 career takeaways with the Nittany Lions, grabbing nine interceptions and three fumble recoveries and forcing three fumbles.
Brown spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Lackawanna College (2018, 2019), where he helped lead the Falcons to the NJCAA Championship game in 2019 and an 11-0 record and No. 6 national ranking in 2018.
He was third-team All-Big Ten in 2021 and 2022. His six interceptions in ‘21, including an 87-yard Pick 6 against Maryland, tied for 10th all-time at Penn State and represented the most by a Penn State player since Anthony Scirrotto had six in 2006. Brown also was the first Nittany Lions player with six interceptions and two fumble recoveries in a season since Alan Zemaitis in 2005.
Last season, he remarkably filled up his stat line with 66 tackles (50 solo), 5 1/2 TFLs, three sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, three pass breakups and five quarterback hurries. He was named defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl when he recorded a 22-yard interception return and 1 1/2 sacks in Penn State’s 35-21 victory against Utah.