49ers camp preview: Rookie Ji’Ayir Brown fits right into safety trio
SANTA CLARA – Ji’Ayir Brown’s position as the 49ers’ top-drafted rookie guarantees him nothing, but his first impression on their practice fields signals he could be an immediate contributor this season.
Brown, a versatile safety, has been told to learn from the hip pocket of returning starters Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson Sr.
“When you look at a guy like Ji’Ayir Brown, he has the DNA we are looking for on defense — a guy that’s physical, that’s smart, that can finish,” defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks said.
Bullocks wants Brown and any young players to first learn their job before competing for a starting role. Bullocks has coached the 49ers’ defensive backs since 2017, and this offseason brought him a promotion from safeties coach to defensive backs coach, under new coordinator Steve Wilks.
Here is how the safety unit looks in Bullocks’ eyes heading into this week’s minicamp:
HUFANGA’S ‘DIRTY EYES’
Hufanga became a full-time starter last season and earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Bullocks acknowledges that Hufanga’s “high level” of play was not flawless.
“The issue, I guarantee you, is from utilizing a weapon where it was playing with poor eyes,” Bullocks said, after praising Hufanga’s play. “You’ll hear me say poor eyes equals poor technique.
“… We call that ‘playing with dirty eyes,’ seeing what you’re not supposed to see,” Bullocks added.” So every play, especially on the back seven, you’re responsible for what you see, what’s your key. Everybody has a pre-snap key, and then we call it a high-progressing key, the process that my eyes go to post-snap once the ball snap, and that’s the thing with Huf.
“If I’m supposed to be keying No. 2 with my eyes in the backfield, and all of a sudden I’m man on a tight end but my eyes are in the backfield, the tight end runs an out-route, now I see the quarterback throwing, and nine times out of 10 the tight end is going to catch the ball.”
GIPSON’S TIPS
Gipson joined the 49ers in training camp last year once Jimmie Ward strained a hamstring. Gipson made a team-high five interceptions and became a vital mentor communicating with Hufanga.
“It’s awesome to have a vet, a guy with starter experience and knows how to play the game, especially Tashaun,” Bullocks said. “He’s been a (2014 Pro Bowl) safety. He knows how to do it and play at a high level. He knows how to take care of his body.
“He does a good job taking the younger guys up under his wing to coach them up. So really, he’s a coach on the field. That helps a lot, because I might not always be there.”
BROWN’S VERSATILITY
The 49ers traded up to take Brown No. 87 overall with their first draft pick, and his first weeks of practice reflected the versatility and ball-hawking they saw from his Penn State film.
“He’s versatile. He can play at all three levels of the defense,” Bullocks said. “He can line up on a line of scrimmage, he can rush off the edge even when it’s one-on-one. He can draw it back a little and play man coverage and play zone as well, and he can get back in the post, show that range and go get the football.”
Brown had 10 interceptions over the past two years at Penn State.
“He is very instinctual, and he’s very comfortable planning in the post,” Bullocks said of his interceptions. “A guy who’s always around the football is going to get the football, and they really don’t stop when they get to the NFL. They’re always around the ball as well.”
OTHER OPTIONS
— Myles Hartsfield followed Wilks from the Carolina Panthers. Wilks, who specializes in defensive backs, likes Hartsfield’s familiarity to help spread his message. Hartsfield’s 5-foot-11 frame comes in hefty at 210 pounds, or more.
— Tayler Hawkins was a standout on the practice squad last season, after going undrafted out of San Diego State. His physicality and ball-hawking skills are evident.
— George Odum is a sixth-year veteran whose expertise is on special teams, where he compiled a team-high 21 tackles last season upon joining the 49ers from the Colts.
— Avery Young was a standout at Rutgers, and after going undrafted, he’s looking to follow a family tradition of playing in the NFL, like his father, Anthony, did with the 1985 Colts.