Heading into the 2026 season, Clemson star Sammy Brown is getting first-round hype for next year’s NFL Draft.
Though Brown may not be listening to that NFL Draft hype, The Athletic’s lead NFL Draft analyst, Dane Brugler, recently provided some more of the hype.
Brugler released his preseason 2027 NFL Draft positional rankings for linebackers, and he ranked Brown as the No. 1 prospect at his position entering the upcoming season.
A former five-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and 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.
Brown continued to be a force on Clemson’s defense as a sophomore last season, when he racked up 107 tackles 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.
“Based on summer scouting, Brown is the clear LB1 entering the 2026 season,” Brugler wrote. “A Butkus Award winner in high school, Brown was a hot commodity as a recruit and spurned his home state Georgia (and several other high-profile programs) to sign with Clemson. He quickly lived up to the hype as ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, then led the Tigers in tackles (107) as a sophomore, earning first-team All-ACC honors.
“Brown is a big-time athlete, and that will always be his foundation as a player, but his tackling technique, diagnose skills and motor are all strengths, as well — and they’re continuing to get better. Clemson has had a defensive player selected in the first round of three of the past four drafts, and Brown is up next in that pipeline.”
Brugler highlighted Brown’s “explosive speed” as his best trait.
“Brown is a good-sized linebacker and plays like one of the fastest guys on the field,” Brugler wrote. “He moves loose to easily unlock and drive to the football, using his size to power through contact without impeding his range. He brings the type of explosiveness that NFL teams covet at linebacker.
“Given his traits, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn Brown was a five-star recruit and the highest-ranked player in Clemson’s 2024 recruiting class. He is a dynamic pursuit athlete.”
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.
As talented as Brown is and productive as he has been, there’s always room to grow, and Brugler identified his “playmaking skills in coverage” as the area in which he must improve.
“Brown is an above-average size/speed athlete, but he’s still developing his coverage skills,” Brugler wrote. “This upcoming season, scouts want to see him better understand route combinations in zone coverage and show improved coverage angles to affect passing lanes. As his situational spacing gets better, his coverage consistency and playmaking will become a strength.”
When the 2026 NFL Draft was going on, 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 on April 24 in a little 2027 draft tease for Brown.
In May, CBS Sports released an early 2027 NFL mock draft that features Brown going in the first round, 28th overall to the New England Patriots. Brown was also projected as a first-round pick in an early 2027 mock draft by SB Nation, 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.