Jalil Brown Scouting Report

Jalil Brown is what college football is all about. The cornerback was not highly recruited out of high school and worked hard to get where he is now. He redshirted in 2006, paid his dues on special teams in 2007 and moved up to the starting nickel back as a sophomore. As a part-time starter in 2008, he tallied 52 tackles and recorded one interception. The following season he started the last ten games of the year and his production continued to increase. He ranked sixth on the team with 66 tackles and added a couple interceptions and fumble recoveries. For his efforts he was named All-Big 12 Conference Honorable Mention by multiple sources.

The Colorado secondary is often put in bad situations due to the lack of pressure from the front four, but Brown continues to put up decent numbers in 2010. Brown is not the quickest defensive back in this class, but he is among the strongest. That strength makes him difficult to beat off the line of scrimmage and also makes him a decent free safety, which he has occasionally played throughout his collegiate career.

NFL teams will want to see his true size before they start thinking of him as a free safety who can play some corner. The 6-1 listing is probably a little generous and that will probably make him a cornerback in the NFL. At the least, he is a hardworking player who can make a huge impact on special teams and work his way into the cornerback rotation on an NFL roster.

2/10 Update: Brown was often matched up with the opponents' top receiver in 2010, which is usually a daunting task in the Big 12. That was due to opposing teams wanting to avoid fellow corner Jimmy Smith. Brown was not perfect, but he did a fine job against some of the best receivers in the nation. On the year he picked off three passes and broke up five passes. With some decent workouts, Brown could sneak into the third or fourth round.