Sammy Brown
Clemson#38 overallDraft Movement
Up 15 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Sammy Brown is a downhill box linebacker who arrived at Clemson as the 2023 High School Butkus Award winner and a consensus five-star, and he has played up to the billing. He claimed ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 with 87 tackles, 11.5 TFL and five sacks in just 444 snaps, then backed it up in 2025 with a team-high 107 tackles, 13.5 TFL, five sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He grades as a top-15 linebacker in the class with a third-round projection, credited with a strong 87 percent tackling score, and has earned elite grades dating back to recruiting. Summer scouting reports praised his light feet to mirror ball carriers in space, his processing, his tackling technique and his leadership as a defensive signal-caller. He is one of only a handful of FBS players to post double-digit TFL and five-plus sacks in each of his first two seasons, a feat shared with Clellin Ferrell and T.J. Parker among Tigers. PFF data shows a 70.6 career run-defense grade with an 8.2 percent missed-tackle rate and 74 stops, alongside a more modest 61.8 coverage grade. He brings rare athletic background as a back-to-back state wrestling champ, a 10.7 100-meter runner and a high-school running back who rushed for 2,289 yards as a senior. Some boards mock him into the first-round mix for 2027. The questions are coverage range against modern offenses and whether the diagnosis catches up to the burst, but the floor and competitiveness are easy to bet on.
The Tape
Strengths
- Elite production for a true freshman and sophomore: 194 tackles, 25.0 TFL and 10.0 sacks across 27 games
- one of only three Clemson players ever (with Clellin Ferrell, T.J. Parker) to hit 10 TFL and five sacks in both freshman and sophomore years
- ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024
- light feet and hip fluidity to mirror ball carriers in space
- sound, reliable tackling technique with an 8.2 percent missed-tackle rate and 74 PFF stops
- nose for the backfield, generating sacks in three straight games in 2025
- rare athletic base as a back-to-back state wrestling champ and 10.7 100-meter sprinter
- instinctive blitzer and pressure player with 13 career hurries
Weaknesses
- Coverage is the clear developmental area, with PFF grading him 61.8 in that phase and coverage scores grading out to just 58 percent
- can play too fast and overrun plays before the diagnosis fully catches up
- needs to refine reads against modern spread and play-action looks
- production has come partly on volume and aggression rather than consistent assignment discipline
- not a true sideline-to-sideline rangy athlete at the second level
- will face NFL backs and tight ends who test his man-coverage hips
- only listed at 6-2, 235 with average length for a thumper role
NFL Comparison
Trenton Simpson (fellow athletic Clemson LB with downhill burst); Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (pure MLB mold and Clemson lineage, Brown with superior size and athleticism); Anthony Hill Jr. (82 percent similar per buzz, five-star pedigree blitz-and-run linebacker); Smael Mondon Jr. (77 percent similar, rangy SEC-style backer)
College Stats
2024 (Fr.): 14 G (6 starts), 444 snaps, 87 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 4 PBU; 2025 (So.): 13 G (all starts), 734 snaps, 107 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 1 INT (19 yds), 7 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR; career: 27 G (19 starts), 1,178 snaps, 194 tackles, 25.0 TFL, 10.0 sacks, 11 PBU, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR; PFF: 70.6 career run-defense grade, 61.8 career coverage grade, 13 career hurries, 74 stops, 8.2% missed-tackle rate
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $917K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Clemson's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend
Measurables
Awards & Honors
2024 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year; 2024 True Freshman All-American and first-team Freshman All-American honors; 2025 first-team All-ACC (league, AP, Phil Steele) and Phil Steele third-team All-America; 2025 CSC Academic All-American; 2025 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy (South Carolina's top collegiate player); multiple ACC Linebacker of the Week honors; grades as a top-15 linebacker and top-100 overall prospect with a third-round projection and elite recruiting-era grades; mocked into the first-round mix on some boards; 2023 High School Butkus Award winner and consensus five-star recruit