Height: 6-2

Weight: 234 pounds

Year: Junior

Pro Comparison: Devin White

Pros for Sammy Brown

• Brown is an outstanding athlete, showing an incredible level of work from the second level 
• When he arrives at the football, Brown does a good job consistently coming to balance as a tackler and striking 
• He has shown a ton of improvements during his career as a processor and is typically in the right spot 
• There is a clear nose for the football, showcasing the closing speed to finish plays for negatives 

Cons for Sammy Brown

• There is some hip tightness with Brown, and it can hurt him when changing direction in space 
• He can still be a tick slow to process at times, costing him even more opportunities to create negatives 
• Brown has more upside in the passing game than he has shown so far, and he will need to create more plays in coverage

Background

Brown was considered to be an elite prospect by each of the major recruiting platforms coming out of Jefferson (Ga.) High School in the 2024 class. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Brown ended up ranked as a five-star, the No. 19 overall player, the No. 2 linebacker, and the No. 2 player from the state of Georgia for the class. 

He opted for Clemson over offers from Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami, USC, Florida State, Auburn, South Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, NC State, Mississippi State, and Virginia, among others. 

The Georgia native made an immediate impact on the Clemson defense as a freshman in 2024. In each of the last two seasons, Brown has been considered to be an All-ACC performer. Over the course of his career, Brown has played in 27 games for the Tigers. He has managed to collect 186 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, ten sacks, an interception, one forced fumble, and eight pass breakups.

Player Evaluation

In terms of raw athleticism, you aren’t going to find many better than Brown. His straight-line speed is outstanding, possessing rare range on the second level. There aren’t many running backs who are going to beat him in a foot race to the perimeter. A densely built linebacker, Brown shows a high level of physicality when he arrives at the football. He comes to balance and strikes with a ton of violence. We saw a ton of improvements from Brown as a processer this past season, and he didn’t become a victim of eye candy as often, and typically was in the right spot overall. Brown has a clear nose for the football, and good things typically happen when he gets around it, including forcing turnovers and negatives.

Brown is a pretty linear player, having some general hip tightness when changing direction in space. While his processing took a nice step forward in 2025, there are still moments when he is a tick slow to read and react. That can be the difference between creating a negative or allowing a chunk gain. There is more upside in the passing game, but Brown is still pretty inconsistent in that area. He will need to be more disciplined with his drops and eye discipline. The raw tools are there to take a big step forward.

If the jump from 2024 to 2025 was any indication, there is still plenty of upside to continue tapping into for Brown. He is a special athlete who has first-rounder written all over him. If developed properly, this is a future Pro Bowl selection with all the upside in the world.