UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon focused on his every move, Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker made the most of his second chance with scouts at Holuba Hall on Thursday. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound defensive back dealt with a back issue that soured his NFL Combine performance earlier this month. But in a familiar setting, Brisker was able to bounce back in a big way in advance of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Jaquan Brisker improves his draft journey numbers
While taking part in the bench press drill in Indianapolis, Brisker felt tightness in his back. Brisker told the coaches in attendance that he was feeling uncomfortable, but the safety prospect still worked through the other testing drills.
Most of the results weren’t up to his standards.
“I’m a competitor,” Brisker said. “I like to finish through everything, so what I did was I did my vert, jumped 34.5 [inches], it wasn’t well with that. I did my broad, and that was 10’4”, so I was fine with that.”
While he was pleased with his broad jump number, Brisker knew he wanted to improve on his 4.49-second 40-yard dash and 34.5-inch vertical at his pro day workout. At Penn State, in front of former Pro Bowl safety and current San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch, Brisker did just that.
Brisker ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash and leaped 38.5 inches on his vertical jump, likely boosting his draft stock in the process. That said, Brisker still thought he could have produced a better 40 time.
“Honestly, I was trying to get down to a 4.2, a 4.3,” Brisker said. “I ran it here and showed it where I was training at, but it’s just not where I needed to be right now.”
Where does Brisker fit on defense?
Brisker gained the reputation of a hard-hitting, do-everything safety during his three years at Penn State. He produced 151 tackles (10 for loss), 5 interceptions, and 14 pass breakups for the Nittany Lions.
Given his ability to move around the secondary, NFL teams have been curious about his potential versatility at the next level. Scouts and coaches have even asked Brisker where he envisions playing in the NFL.
“Some teams have just asked me what I can do, if I can play all six positions,” Brisker said. “And I say yes. Throughout junior college and throughout here, I showed my versatility. I showed that I can play anywhere in the secondary, whether that’s corner, nickel, boundary nickel, and both safeties.”
Brisker showed off his impressive blend of quickness, strength, and balance during position drills at the pro day. The defensive back looked smooth while backpedaling and caught the ball cleanly when asked to make a play in coverage drills. Brisker believes he proved that he can be a movable chess piece in an NFL defense.
Penn State S Jaquan Brisker doing drills in front of #Eagles CB Zech McPhearson (green jacket 👀). Brisker looks like a linebacker size-wise but moves like a corner. pic.twitter.com/l20FkCvy5z
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye)
“I was excited just to take a step forward,” Brisker said. “I was very disappointed that I couldn’t perform [position drills] at the Combine. Just looking at the safeties and corners, I felt like if I was [healthy], it would have been a different story if I would have done everything. Just coming out here was a step forward. … My times changed, and I came out here and caught every ball and I looked very smooth.”
After impressing the scouts, coaches, and GMs at his pro day, Brisker doesn’t plan on relaxing ahead of April’s NFL Draft.
Brisker — who received a second-round projection from Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline — will continue to work out and meet with interested teams, a group that could grow after his rebound performance on campus.
“Just keep my body in shape, keep lifting and still running,” Brisker said, “but getting healthy, that’s most important.”
