NFL1000 Notebook: The Best Rookie Defender You’ve Never Heard Of

Welcome to Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 Scouting Notebook, a weekly series where we’ll use the power of the 16-man NFL1000 scouting department to bring you fresh insights into the game and explain some of the more interesting (and potentially controversial) grades we give players every week. 

The full list of NFL1000 grades will be released Thursday, and we will attempt to preview some of what we are seeing in our film analysis here. 

Let’s start this week with a film study on a rookie linebacker who has been flying under the national radar this year. 

 

The All-22: Chargers LB Jatavis Brown Looks Like a Draft-Day Steal

Written by Jerod Brown

The San Diego Chargers used their third overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft to select a defensive stud. Joey Bosa has been playing well from the moment he suited up. He’s the talk of the town. Quietly, with Bosa commanding the spotlight, another Chargers rookie defender has quickly become a rising star in a league that increasingly values versatility.

The San Diego Chargers selected linebacker Jatavis Brown (5’11”, 221 lbs) with the 175th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Brown played at the University of Akron and was seen as a tweener, lacking the prototypical size to be an immediate starter in the NFL.

With top-notch athleticism and speed, Brown carved a role as the backup to Manti Te’o. When an injury ended Te’o’s season in Week 3, San Diego inserted Brown into the starting lineup. Since becoming the starter alongside Denzel Perryman, Brown has continued to develop as an interior run defender, including posting the highest Week 6 overall grade for inside linebackers for his performance against the Denver Broncos.

Let’s look at a couple of plays from this week that highlight what Brown does well and why he’s likely easing the concerns of the San Diego front office.

Brown’s most difficult task came in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have two of the best receiving running backs in the league in Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Brown was primarily responsible for backfield coverage against Freeman and was impressive when challenged.

Take this play with eight minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Falcons align with three wide receivers on the line of scrimmage and a tight end in the backfield to the right of quarterback Matt Ryan, with Freeman to the left of Ryan. Brown is aligned over Freeman before the play begins.

At the snap, Freeman takes a wide release and pushes vertical through the line of scrimmage before rounding his route toward the sideline. As Ryan takes his drop, his reads are on the left, as Atlanta ran an inward-breaking whip route with receiver Julio Jones behind Freeman. Brown is with Freeman step-for-step as he tries to create separation toward the sideline, forcing Ryan to hold on to the ball.  

After Brown comfortably deals with Freeman’s out to begin the route, Freeman runs an up, a favorite concept of the Atlanta offense and one that gave the Denver Broncos inside linebackers major issues. Brown seamlessly flips his hips and runs the sideline with Freeman, displaying the cover skills and athleticism that stood out before he was drafted.

The result of the play is a completion to Jones—a good throw and catch—but Brown demonstrated excellent speed, athleticism and cover skills to run with one of the best receiving backs in the league.

Brown was known for his ability in coverage, but his aggressiveness and athleticism in the run game have been his greatest improvement early in his rookie season. Just a few plays after covering Freeman, Brown demonstrated his ability to diagnose in a hurry and redirect running backs.

With 7:11 remaining in the first quarter, the Atlanta Falcons have 2nd-and-5 at the San Diego 24-yard line. Brown is stacked over the Atlanta left guard and quickly diagnoses the left zone run from the offense.

As he approaches the line of scrimmage, running back Tevin Coleman recognizes the Chargers end has effectively set the edge and looks to cut back. Brown fills downhill immediately and flashes in the cutback lane that Coleman saw, forcing the Atlanta running back to stretch the play wide.

The result is a tackle for no gain by outside linebacker Melvin Ingram, as Brown forces Coleman directly into Ingram’s waiting arms. The Atlanta Falcons threw an incomplete pass on the next down and settled for a field goal.

Many of the plays Brown makes go unnoticed because of an aggressive and fast front for the San Diego Chargers. The injury to Te’o was unfortunate, but it has paved the way for significant playing time for Brown, and the rookie has done nothing but impress since becoming the full-time starter.

With the athleticism and speed to cover running backs and tight ends comfortably, Brown is learning to diagnose efficiently and fill downhill at the line of scrimmage. Each passing week represents continued development for the fifth-round selection.

While …

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