In the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft the Chicago Bears selected safety Mike Brown. Twenty-two years later the Bears likely drafted the closest thing to his replacement in safety Jaquan Brisker.
In the second round of the NFL Draft the Bears utilized the pick obtained in the Khalil Mack trade to grab Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. Brisker comes to the Bears via the Nittany Lions and looks every part of a future NFL starting strong safety. While the safety position has become interchangeable in recent years, Brisker’s ability to run and tackle is the first thing that immediately stands out on film.
Bears fans were clamoring for new general manager Ryan Poles to grab a wide receiver at this spot, but Poles stuck to his board and grabbed the best player available and it’s not hard to see why. Brisker has been termed an old-school safety and that’s a very fair assessment. As a senior he started all 12 games, was voted a team captain he, racked up 64 tackles (38 solo), 5.5. tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
So what is the first thing you see from Brisker when you watch his highlights? He plays the safety position like a linebacker. He doesn’t play it in terms of leveling players with bone jarring hits, rather he plays up and around the line of scrimmage or consistently in the box on run defense. He takes on offensive linemen, he slides through gaps in the blocking scheme and plays the run like he is a fifth linebacker.
If you popped on the tape and weren’t told to watch Brisker play as a safety you would think he was a linebacker. He plays downhill, he’s aggressive and tackles and wraps up the ball-carrier. He brings them down quick and clean and it’s a sure sign of a very instinctive aggressive safety who can make plays in the run game.
A lot to like about Jaquan Brisker on tape
I was instantly made a fan of Brisker based on how he reads the play and makes the tackle with his eyes. He is a disciplined player who rarely gets out of position. He is a very fast player getting to the ball to make the play, which shows overall confidence in his abilities to get there and get the runner down. He’s a fearless player who will square up with anyone and make the play.
In pass defense it’s harder to get an overall read on the type of player Brisker will be. Let’s state some basic facts about his pass defense, he allowed one touchdown in his two years as a starter. That is a sign of a smart and disciplined player who doesn’t blow coverages. That’s a very important key for the Bears because they had so many major blown coverages from a year ago. Brisker’s draft profile from ProFootballFocus has his rating at an overall 89.5 grade in pass coverage which is a strong grade.
What you can establish about Brisker is he takes very good angles to the football in coverage and makes plays on the football as a result. No he may not be the second coming of Ed Reed, but he looks every part of former Bears safety Mike Brown. That would be the player comparison I see in Brisker, and that would work out quite well for the Bears new defense.
Let’s hope that Jaquan Brisker turns out to be an instant impact player for the Bears right away in his rookie season which should give a boost to the team’s defense.
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