Jaquan Brisker S Penn State: Scouting Report

Height: 6’1’’

Weight: 206

Overall

Jaquan Brisker is the versatile safety in Penn State’s 4-3 defense. He lines up all over the field on film and has the size and athleticism to play down in the box, in the slot, and in deep thirds. He is a JUCO product and transferred to Penn State after playing two years at Lackawanna Community College. In his 3 seasons with the Nittany Lions, he played in 34 games, starting 21 of them. He was very productive during his time in college and played with the toughness and intelligence needed to succeed at the next level.

Pass Game

Brisker has experience playing both man and zone coverage. In man coverage, he has the size and technique to match-up one on one with both tight ends and safeties. He has excellent awareness and consistently makes plays on the ball at the catching point. In zone coverage, he excels at reading the quarterback’s eyes and has the closing speed to break up passes on the outside. He has a very high football IQ, and he has the speed to cover a lot of space playing over the top. On film there were multiple receiver screen plays that were quickly diagnosed by Brisker and he was able to beat the blocks and make big plays behind the line of scrimmage He was also used on blitzes and had success with his urgency to get to the football and strength to get off blocks.

Run Game

In the run game, Brisker shows good awareness in reading the play then using his athleticism to fill the open gap. With his high football IQ, he is able to sift through the trash and get off blocks to make plays. He is a strong tackler, but he needs to show more aggression as a downhill tackler. At times, he will make good reads on the play and get his hands on the ball-carrier, but he is unable to finish his tackle. He has all the ingredients to be a very good run defender in the NFL, he just needs to clean up his tackling and have more aggression when contacting the ball-carrier.

Last Word

Brisker has the versatility to be used all over the field and can fit into any scheme. He projects best in a defense that will allow him to play man coverage against tight ends/running backs, as well as play in deep thirds in zone coverage where he can use his awareness to make plays down the field. His coverage skills will allow him to excel on third downs and he can be a dominant special teams player.

One-Liner: Jaquan Brisker can do everything you want out of a 3 down safety and has the football IQ to make excellent plays, but he needs to improve his tackling aggression before he can grow into an all-around elite defender.

Grade: 6.8 (Solid Starter on All 3 Downs)

Games Watched: 2021 – Michigan, Auburn, Iowa

Team Fits: New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets