Austin Brown

Austin Brown was born in Columbus at the Ohio State University Hospital and grew up a Buckeyes fan. He later moved to Illinois with his mother (Patti Parks) and played sports as a child. His dad played college football, and although it wasn’t love at first sight, Brown’s interest in the sport spiked at Johnston City High School. He was named first-team all-state while playing quarterback, running back, wide receiver and safety (87 tackles and five interceptions as a senior). A three-star recruit, Brown garnered offers from Iowa, Michigan and others before committing to Wisconsin. 608 Back to table of contents -- 612 of 629 -- Playing boundary safety and “big” nickel, he can find the ball but tends to play on his heels and lacks zone anticipation (zero career interceptions). He has some twitch in his lower half in man coverage, although he tends to be late reacting. He sifts well as a key-and-drive run defender, but his missed tackles add up (see the 2025 Oregon tape). Overall, Brown has functional size, strength and athleticism for the position, and NFL teams love his physicality and intangibles, but you’d like there to be more impact plays on his tape.