From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Nebraska safety Omar Brown.
#12 OMAR BROWN, S, NEBRASKA (rSR) — 6006, 205 lbs.
East West Shrine Bowl/Pro Day
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Omar Brown | 6006/205 | 9 1/4″ | 31 3/8″ | 76 3/8″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.56 | 1.53 | 4.38 | 6.97 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’0″ | 35″ | 11 |
The Good
— Good size and athleticism
— Solid length and speed
— Played in slot, split safety, and in the box
— Awareness and spacing in Zone coverage
— Matched up well with tight ends in man coverage
— Good COD, acceleration to come downhill quickly
— Potential to be more disruptive in Press coverage
— Willing tackler in run game; good physicality
— Good angles outside/ limits yards after contact
The Bad
— Lacks the range to play the single high safety
— Struggled in Off Man coverage versus quicker slot receivers
— Opens hips early/susceptible to secondary moves
— Marginal play strength and technique to get off blocks
— Low ball production
— Late to come to balance when coming downhill, causing missed tackles
— Tackling form in open field is inconsistent
— Doesn’t stand out in any area
Bio
— Career: 196 tackles, 127 solo, 11 TFL, 9 INT, 25 PBU, 4 FR, 3 FF
— 2023: 51 tackles, 35 solo, 3 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 1 FR, 2 FF
— 52 games, 37 starts
— Began career at Northern Iowa
— 2023 Honorable mention All-Big Ten
— 2019 First-team FCS All-American (Phil Steele)
— East West Shrine Bowl invitee
— Majoring in child, youth, and family studies
— Volunteered at the Nebraska Football Road Race and local hospital visits.
— Birthday Oct. 12, 2000 (23)
Tape Breakdown
Omar Brown is a defensive back who played in the slot, the box, and as a split safety for Nebraska. He has experience playing Man and Zone coverage and has good size, solid length, and solid speed.
Against the pass, he played the majority of his time in the slot in off-coverage. When playing Man, he was solid in his pedal with solid change of direction. He gets up to speed quickly to close on the receiver or run with deep routes. Against tight ends, he matches up well and is combative at the catch point. I didn’t see him play Press coverage often but on the few occasions he displayed a solid jam at the line of scrimmage.
Brown makes a nice break on the ball to undercut the route and get the interception.
A Trio of pass breakups.
In Zone coverage, he gets good depth and has solid awareness when playing deep. His range is solid when playing as a split safety. When playing underneath, he displays good mobility, with eyes moving between the quarterback and scanning his area. He spaces well, jams receivers coming through his area, and closes on the ball quickly. On plays in front of him, he has a good burst downhill and displays good effort when taking on blockers.
Making plays coming downhill quickly.
Against the run, he makes a good effort to work through traffic and is a willing tackler with good physicality. His mental processing is good to diagnose the play quickly and he takes good angles to the ball to limit yards outside. He was solid as the force player on the edge to tighten running lanes. He doesn’t become a watcher when the ball isn’t near him, consistently running toward the play. When tackling, he displays good hit power and physicality to limit yards after contact.
In Man coverage, he will open his hips early making him susceptible to a second move by the receiver. He would not be a good match-up with quicker receivers as he is adequate at matching them at the break point. When taking on blockers, he is marginal getting off blocks. While he was better before coming to Nebraska, his ball production was low. When coming downhill from the deep safety or in the slot, he is late to come to balance and will miss tackles. His form on open field tackles is inconsistent sometimes tackling high and other times not wrapping up.
Coverage vs quicker slot receivers left him chasing.
Coming downhill, he can be too aggressive.
Conclusion
Overall, Brown has good size, length, and speed, along with good athleticism. He has experience in Man and Zone coverages, playing the split safety, slot, and in the box. In Zone coverages, he displays good spacing and awareness and closes on the ball quickly. He is best matched with tight ends or big slot receivers in Man coverage. He is a willing run defender, solid on the edge, and willing to fill gaps with good hit power.
Areas to improve include adding more Press coverage into his game, reading the breakpoint more quickly, and disengaging from blocks. As a tackler, coming to balance more quickly and being more consistent in tackling form will be beneficial.
Brown is a good athlete who plays within the scheme. He didn’t particularly stand out in any area, but he was effective in his role. On defense, he could be used in multiple alignments, but the best option is as a strong safety in a zone-heavy scheme where he could match up with tight ends in Man coverage. He could make a roster as a reserve safety to be used in dime packages and on special teams and, in a couple of years, could potentially work his way up to a starting role.
For a player comp, I’ll give you Jaylinn Hawkins, who became a starter in year three. He, too, was solid in Zone coverage, had solid speed and was physical when trying to tackle while also struggling to get off blocks and having low ball production.
Projection: Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.3 – End of Roster/Practice Squad (Seventh Round)
Games Watched: 2023 – At Minnesota, At Colorado, Vs Michigan, Vs Maryland, vs Iowa
