Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
4 2 M A Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Jaquan Brisker | S | 6-1.5 | 206 Projection: Second-/ Third-Round Pick After Jaquan Brisker finished his warmup at the NFL Combine in early March and made his way over to the bench press, he could feel his back start to act up. "I was doing the bench, and my back was getting tight," Brisker said. "Once I finished, my back was just super tight. … But I'm a competitor, I like to finish everything through." The hiccup in Indianapolis left Brisker with something to prove. Specifically, he said he wanted to improve on his ver- tical jump. He registered a 34.5-inch vertical in Indianapolis, a performance that he said didn't reflect the kind of numbers he had been posting in his workouts prior to the combine. At Penn State's Pro Day later in March, Brisker made things right. He added four full inches to his vertical, posting a 38.5. He also shaved more than half a second off his 40-yard dash time, running a 4.43 inside Holuba Hall. "I just wanted to come out here and show that with a better back, I could jump 38.5 and move like a corner," he said. Brisker added that he's been selling his versatility to NFL scouts and ex- ecutives when they approach him. He played safety for the Nittany Lions dur- ing his three years in Happy Valley, but his future could include a broader role. "Some teams just asked me what I could do, if I could play all six [second- ary] positions," Brisker said. "And I say yes. Throughout junior college and throughout my time here, I've shown my versatility. I showed that I could play anywhere in the secondary, whether that's corner, nickel, boundary nickel or both safety spots." Certainly, there wasn't much Brisker didn't do in a Penn State jersey. Trans- ferring in from Lackawanna College before the start of the 2019 season, he earned snaps from the very beginning. He became a starter for the Nittany Lions in his second season on cam- pus and developed into one of the best safeties in the Big Ten and all of college football. When opposing quarterbacks targeted Brisker in 2021, they achieved just a 46.8 passer rating. The season before, Brisker missed just one tackle in nine games, notching an outstanding 91.8 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus. By his third season at Penn State, Brisker was a well-rounded defensive back, and he was saluted by the Big Ten for his performance, winning consensus first- team all-conference rec- ognition. His contributions didn't stop on the field, head coach James Franklin said. "He's been a great leader with the younger players, his interactions with me have been fantastic [and] he's been great with helping us recruit in Pitts- burgh," Franklin said. "I'm just really proud of him." — David Eckert Measurements ARMS 32 inches HANDS 10 inches 40 4.43 seconds BENCH 22 reps VERTICAL 38.5 inches BROAD 10 feet, 4 inches 3-CONE 6.19 seconds 20-YD. SHUTTLE 4.19 seconds 60-YD. SHUTTLE — What They're Saying About Jaquan Brisker "I like Jaquan Brisker. There were some opportunities for some interceptions I'd like to see him come through with. But he's a good football player and another guy that Franklin had great things to say about during the year. I think Brisker's more of a third [round pick]." — Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN "Like the other safeties at the top of this draft, Brisker can close space with ease in all facets. What separates Brisker from others, however, is his ability to read and react with incredible speed. He'll break on the ball or the running back before the point of attack has even been determined." — Cam Mellor, Pro Football Network PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS