Jaquan Brisker | Penn State 6’1” 199 lbs. | 4/20/1999 (Age 23)
Jaquan Brisker was drafted with the 16th pick of the second round by the Chicago Beras, becoming the fifth safety and the 48th overall player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
Brisker, once a four-star recruit from Monroeville, PA, was expected to make an impact at an FBS school, but his path started at Lackawanna Community College. He found his way from conference defensive player of the year to in-state football factory Pennsylvania State University. After one year as a rotational piece, he started as a senior for the Nittany Lions and used the NCAA’s pandemic exceptions to return to his role in a fifth collegiate season and earn second-team All American honors in 2021. He collected 120 tackles including 9.0 for loss in 21 starts in two years along with 10 passes defensed and three interceptions.
FILM
Scouts and analysts alike feel that Brisker “checks all the boxes” and could start immediately in the NFL. Of particular interest to fantasy gamers, he shows the aptitude and the attitude desired to compete in the confines of the box on-field
ATHLETIC TESTING
At 6’ 1” 199 lbs., Brisker posted strong numbers in athletic testing: a 40-yard dash time of 4.49 seconds, a three-cone time of 6.91 seconds, and a 10’ 4” broad jump. With a Relative Athletic Score of 9.12 out of 10, Brisker ranked 13th (tied) among safeties in the 2022 draft class.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Great
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Great
Brisker was selected with the 48th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
Much of a safety’s fantasy value is derived from his deployment on the field. A good deep safety simply does not produce stats consistently because he is routinely 20 yards from the football at the snap. No good defense requires its last line of defense piling up tackles.
Jaquan Brisker should leapfrog all the safeties taken ahead of him except Kyle Hamilton in rookie safety ranks. His only competition to start alongside rangy Eddie Jackson is a career back-up, Deandre Houston Carson. Better yet, the Bears have a new defensive coordinator in Alan Williams, most recently the Colts’ defensive backs coach. He and Matt Eberflus, the 2021 Colts defensive coordinator and 2022 Bears head coach, demonstrated a preference for a disparity in deployment between safeties. Julian Blackmon played the vast majority of his snaps deep while Khari Willis more frequently played closer to the line of scrimmage. The veteran Jackson can reasonably expect to be relied upon in a single-high role more often than the rookie Brisker. Brisker’s toughness in the box compares favorably with that of Jackson.
Brisker is the rare rookie worth drafting as a fantasy starter in seasonal IDP leagues. Drafters who are patient with the safety position should consider Brisker a SAF2 or DB3. Dynasty gamers should look for Brisker in the fifth round of typical rookie drafts. As a top-50 NFL draft pick at a non-premium position, his draft capital for the fantasy game is perfectly adequate. His landing spot vaults him ahead of other safeties taken outside the top 20.
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