Pewter Report’s 2023 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 4.0

Round 3: Illinois S Sydney Brown
Senior • 5-10, 211

With Mike Edwards signing with the Chiefs and both Keanu Neal and Logan Ryan unsigned as of this writing, the Bucs are as thin at safety as pastrami cut in a New York deli. If the season were to start today the Bucs would be starting undrafted free agent Nolan Turner opposite Antoine Winfield Jr.

Illinois’ Sydney Brown could help bolster the depth in the safety room and log significant reps in his rookie year. The best description I have found for Brown’s play style is a bowling ball run amok in a fine China shop. If drafted, Brown would become an instantaneous fan favorite. Much like his twin brother, Chase, who was a running back for the Illini, he is ripped with seemingly zero body fat on his 5-foot-10 frame. This means just about all 200 pounds of him is pure muscle. And while that does leave him a tad-bit stiff hipped, his willingness to go max-effort on every play with his high effort and motor naturally evoke the NFL euphemism that he plays with his hair on fire.

Brown has NFL instincts and is not above any assignment, which helped him show off high-level ball skills culminating in six interceptions in his senior season. The high motor and elite instincts, combined with his pursuit skills, lead Brown to constantly be around the play. He has the versatility to play up close to the line of scrimmage as a box safety/slot defender or deep. His slightly below average arm length can leave him at a disadvantage when competing at the catch point, and he has a tendency to overrun gaps in the run game which can lead him into some trouble.

BROWN’S CAREER DEFENSIVE STATS
2018: 55 tackles, 2 TFLs, 5 PBUs, INT
2019: 88 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 PBU, 3 INTs, TD
2020: 36 tackles, 0.5 TFL, FF
2021: 81 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 3 PBUs, 1 sack, 2 FFs
2022: 60 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 7 PBUs, 6 INTs, 1 sack, FF, FR, 2 TDs

Brown’s skill set could pair perfectly with that of Winfield. Brown could play the traditional strong safety role in the box where his 4.47 40 speed would allow him to cover seam routes better than the team has in recent years. It also would allow Winfield to return to the center field role that had him ascending to one of the best safeties in the game through the first two years in his career. Brown could also provide some special teams versatility with his experience on punt coverage and field goal block units.