The 49ers found their man in the middle of the third round Friday night. They moved up to No. 87 overall to snag Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown.
Brown can do a little bit of everything. He’s athletic enough to play the deep safety spot, but he’s also capable of coming downhill and playing near the line of scrimmage.
There’s no guarantee he starts right away though. The 49ers re-signed Tashaun Gipson to be their free safety, and Talanoa Hufanga is coming off an All-Pro season at strong safety.
However, Brown is a better athlete at this point than Gipson and was a turnover machine with the Nittany Lions. He intercepted 10 passes in his final two seasons and forced three fumbles.
Athleticism and turnover creation might be hard for San Francisco to keep on the bench, no matter how much they like Gipson. Brown can play all over the field with the size and speed to play coverage a la Jimmie Ward, but he also sticks his nose in against the run and has plenty of highlight-reel hits.
Ideally the 49ers would get Brown on the field as soon as possible, but he does have some issues with missed tackles that could push him into a reserve role to begin his career.
It stands to reason if he plays well in camp he’ll be the starting free safety to open his rookie season. If he’s a reserve though, he can fit in as a third safety in defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ defense before taking over as the long-term free safety option next season.
