With the San Francisco 49ers going through a ton of changes this offseason on defense, they will need to lean on players like Ji’Ayir Brown to step up and help this unit bounce back after a rough 2024 season.
Brown is entering his third year in the league and will be depended on to play a big role in the secondary in 2025, especially with veteran Talanoa Hufanga heading to Denver and Malik Mustapha recovering from a knee injury.
The former fifth-round pick has the skills to be a playmaker in Robert Saleh’s defense and took a moment on social media to remind fans about his cover skills. In a video posted on Twitter/X (h/t @TheSFNiners), Brown showed off his 1v1 coverage skills against Philadelphia Eagles WR duo A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
The young defensive back held his own in pass coverage, as he stayed with Brown and Smith throughout the play. In that game against the Eagles in 2023, which was Brown’s second career start, he had six combined tackles and only gave up one reception on two targets for four yards.
Some Niners fans on social media weren't exactly hyped about the clips, as they believe Brown’s play took a step back in 2024.
Last season, Brown started in 13 out of 17 games, where he had 77 combined tackles, six pass deflections, three tackles for loss, and an interception. The 25-year-old defender also produced a 57.1 completion percentage allowed on targets, an 80.7 pass rating allowed when targeted, and only gave up two receiving touchdowns.
According to PFF, Brown had a 69.5 coverage grade (33rd among 171 qualified safeties) and a 53.6 run defense grade (150th). However, he also had seven missed tackles, which is higher than his rookie season (4).
Sadly, the 49ers don’t play the Eagles this upcoming season, so we could see Brown face off against Brown and Smith. However, the rest of the NFC should proceed with caution when trying to throw in the third-year defender's direction.