When the 2026 NFL Draft was going on last month, star Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown garnered some early hype for next year’s draft from his position coach for the Tigers, with linebackers coach Ben Boulware expressing that he doesn’t think Brown will have to wait very long to hear his name called in the draft.
“This my friends, is what a 1st round NFL backer looks like,” Boulware wrote on social media in a little 2027 draft tease for Brown, a rising junior.
Boulware certainly isn’t the only one who sees Brown as a potential first-round draft pick.
CBS Sports recently released an early 2027 NFL mock draft that features Brown going in the first round.
Analyst Josh Edwards currently projects Brown to land with the New England Patriots as the 28th overall pick.
“New England has gotten by with veteran journeymen at the linebacker position, but now identifies a green dot of the future,” Edwards wrote.
Brown continued to be a force on Clemson’s defense as a sophomore last season, when he racked up 106 tackles — tied for second most in the ACC — while posting 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven pass breakups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. He was a third-team All-America selection by Phil Steele, as well as a first-team All-ACC honoree by the conference, the AP and Steele.
A high school Butkus Award winner, Brown earned freshman All-America honors in his debut season in 2024 while also being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder enters the 2026 season credited with 194 tackles (25 for loss), 10 sacks, 11 pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over 27 games (19 starts) in his first two seasons. He is one of only 14 players nationally to post 10-plus tackles for loss and five or more sacks in each of the last two seasons, alongside fellow Clemson defender Will Heldt.
Brown committed to Clemson back on June 5, 2023, as a coveted five-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. At the time of his commitment, he was the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and the No. 5 prospect in his class regardless of position, per 247Sports.
Brown was also projected as a first-round pick in an early 2027 mock draft by SB Nation last month, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 28 pick.
The 2027 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. in April 2027.
