Sammy Brown

ILB·Clemson#53 overall
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Draft Movement

#53 · Jun 8#53 · now

Holding at #53 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. NFLDraftBuzz lists him as their LB13 with an 84.7 overall grade and a 3rd-round projection, crediting an 87 percent tackling score, while ESPN has graded him 90 of 100 dating back to recruiting. The Vikings Wire summer report 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. WalterFootball mocks him into Round 1 to Denver in their 2027 board. 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.

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 per Vikings Wire
  • 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 NFLDraftBuzz scoring his coverage 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 (NFLDraftBuzz lists as 85 percent similar, fellow athletic Clemson LB with downhill burst); Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Shakin the Southland comp, 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

Measurables

Height
6-2
Weight
235
40-Yd
4.45

Awards & Honors

2024 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year; 2024 True Freshman All-American (247Sports, On3, PFF) and first-team Freshman All-American (The Athletic, ESPN, FWAA); 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; NFLDraftBuzz LB13, No. 84 overall, 84.7 grade, 3rd-round projection; ESPN 90/100 grade; mocked to Round 1 (Denver) by WalterFootball; 2023 High School Butkus Award winner and consensus five-star recruit