Illinois Football 2023 final Mock Draft
Sydney Brown
Illinois has had some mean safeties over the years, but I don’t think I have seen someone as jacked and ready to lay a hit as Sydney Brown. He is going to be a scary player to mess with at the next level.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, Brown has a grade of 6.14 by the NFL. He has the third-highest grade for any Illinois football player.
If an NFL team needs someone who can scare wide receivers in the middle of the field, look no further than Brown. He finished his senior year at Illinois with 60 tackles, seven pass deflections, six interceptions, and one sack. He also had two touchdowns, one via interception and the other was a fumble return.
There are quite a few NFL teams that need a good safety over the middle. I don’t necessarily look for bad pass coverage teams in this spot but which team has the lowest-graded safeties.
Sydney Brown’s landing spot in the 2023 NFL Draft
There are a lot of mock drafts out there, and most of them have Brown going in the third round. I think this is eventually where he ends up getting selected.
I have three teams that I think should be all over Brown at safety. The first team is the Denver Broncos. They had a top-15 pass defense last season, but they have safety issues. Their highest-graded safety was Justin Simmons, who ranked No. 31 among all safeties with a grade of 70.7.
Another team I would keep an eye on is the Kansas City Chiefs. They were a middle-of-the-road secondary last season, and their safety play was below par. The Chiefs’ highest-rated safety was Justin Reid at No. 32 with a rating of 70.3.
While Brown could land with those two teams, I am going to predict that he finds his way out to Arizona to be the Cardinals’ safety in 2023. Arizona had a below-average pass defense last season, and their highest-graded safety, Budda Baker, has requested a trade.
The Cardinals have two picks in the third round. I think they will use one on Brown and solidify their secondary.
Pick #66 (3rd Round) – Arizona Cardinals