Ji'Ayir Brown

Ji'Ayir A'Veon Brown (born January 25, 2000) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Lackawanna and Penn State.

Early years
Brown was born on January 25, 2000, in Trenton, New Jersey, where he attended and played high school football for Trenton Central High School.

Lackawanna College
Brown attended Lackawanna College in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, he was the Northeast JC Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Penn State
In 2020, Brown transferred to Penn State University. After spending his first year in 2020 as a backup, he took over as a starter in 2021. In 13 starts, he had 73 tackles, six interceptions, and a touchdown. Brown returned to Penn State in 2022. He was named the defensive MVP of the 2023 Rose Bowl.

2023 season
Brown was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round, 87th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.

After starting the season as the backup to Talanoa Hufanga, Brown recorded four tackles, three pass deflections, and an interception in a Week 11 27–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Hufanga suffered a knee injury in the third quarter. Three weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, Brown recorded six tackles, a pass deflection, and his second career interception in the 28–16 victory.

Brown finished his rookie season with 35 tackles, four pass deflections, and two interceptions in 15 games and five starts. He was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. The 49ers finished atop the NFC West with a 13–4 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. During the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, Brown had 10 tackles in the 34–31 comeback victory as the 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LVIII. In the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded 11 tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception off of Patrick Mahomes during the 25–22 overtime loss.