Jatavis Brown (born February 18, 1994) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
. He attended
Glades Central High School
Glades Central Community High School is a high school located in Belle Glade, Florida. In the 2014–15 school year its enrollment numbered 992 students. It is known for having one of the best high school football teams in the nation, with more foo ...
in
Belle Glade, Florida
Belle Glade is a city in south-central Florida and it is the far western part of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 17,467.
Bel ...
and would later play
college football at
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
. He was drafted by the
San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
.
College career
Brown was a standout linebacker at Akron, being named to All-MAC First-team three years in a row. In his senior year, he earned MAC Defensive player of the year award after 116 tackles, 19.5 for loss, and a team record 11.5 sacks.
College statistics
Professional career
On January 21, 2016, it was announced that Brown was selected to play in the
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predom ...
. On January 23, 2016, Brown played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and had an impressive performance as part of
Mike Holmgren's National team that defeated the American team 18–17. Brown was instrumental in the victory and was a candidate for NFLPA Collegiate Bowl MVP. Although his performance in the collegiate bowl potentially raised his draft stock, Brown was still unable to attain an invitation to the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
and was not one of 322 college prospects invited. It was speculated by media members that he was snubbed due to his small stature for the linebacker position, although two linebackers who were invited also measured in at 5'11" and the shortest was
Utah's Gionni Paul at 5'10". On February 14, 2016, Brown attended the NFL's first Regional Scouting Combine in
Houston, Texas. He performed combine drills for scouts and impressed them by running a 4.47s in the
40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a h ...
.
On March 18, 2016, Brown attended Akron's pro day, and decided to run all of the combine drills again for team representatives and scouts. He beat his time in the Regional Combine in the 40-yard dash, finishing with 4.44s, to and had 33 reps in the bench press, which would've finished first among all linebackers at the NFL Scouting Combine. 30 team representatives from 22 NFL teams attended to scout Brown as the featured prospect. Brown also attended private workouts and visits with ten NFL teams, including the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
,
Pittsburgh Steelers,
San Diego Chargers,
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
,
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
,
Indianapolis Colts,
New York Giants, and
Los Angeles Rams. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Brown was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the ninth best linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock, was ranked the 13th best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, and was ranked the 13th best linebacker in the draft by
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
.
San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers
The
San Diego Chargers selected Brown in the fifth round (175th overall) of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. He was the 22nd linebacker drafted and the second linebacker drafted by the Chargers in 2016 after they selected
Ohio State's Joshua Perry
Joshua Perry (born April 26, 1994) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Ohio State, where he was part of the 2014 National Championship team.
Early years
Perry attended Olentangy High School in Lewis Center ...
in the fourth round. Brown was the first linebacker drafted from Akron in school history and was the first player drafted from Akron since
Reggie Corner in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. He also became only the 15th player drafted from Akron since the inception of the
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
in
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
.
2016
On May 5, 2016, the San Diego Chargers signed Brown to a four-year,
$2.52 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
that includes a
signing bonus of $184,385.
Throughout training camp, Brown competed for a job as a backup inside linebacker against
Nick Dzubnar, Joshua Perry, and James Ross. Brown fell behind in the competition and had his progress stunted after he sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for the Chargers' first three preseason games. Head coach Mike McCoy named Brown the backup inside linebacker behind
Denzel Perryman and
Manti Te'o
Manti Malietau Louis Te'o ( ; born January 26, 1991) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent.
Te'o played college football at Notre Dame, where he was a consensus All-American and received eight national awards. He was drafted ...
to begin the regular season.
He made his professional regular-season debut in the
San Diego Chargers' season-opener at the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
and recorded three combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 33–27 loss. He played 27% of the Chargers' defensive snaps in his debut. On September 25, 2016, Brown collected six combined tackles, two pass breakups, and made his first career sack on
Indianapolis Colts' quarterback
Andrew Luck
Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during hi ...
during the Chargers' 26–22 victory. On October 2, 2016, Brown earned his first career start after Manti Te'o suffered a torn
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...
during the Chargers' win in
Indianapolis. He recorded a total of seven solo tackles as the Chargers were defeated 35–34 by the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. In Week 6, he collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (13 solo), forced a fumble, and made his third career sack in the Chargers' 21–13 win against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
. In Week 8, Brown made ten combined tackles and defended a pass during the Chargers' 27–19 loss at the Denver Broncos, but left the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury when a Broncos' offensive lineman slammed into his leg. He was expected to miss two games, but ended up being sidelined for four consecutive games (Weeks 9–13). On December 24, 2016, he made ten combined tackles and also recorded a sack on
Robert Griffin III
Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overa ...
with teammate
Kyle Emanuel
Kyle Emanuel (born August 16, 1991) is a former American football linebacker. He won the Buck Buchanan Award in 2014. He played college football for North Dakota State University where they won four straight FCS championships. He was drafted by ...
as the Chargers lost at the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
20–17. He finished his rookie season in with in 12 games with 79 combined tackles (64 solo), 3.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and two forced fumbles in 12 games and seven starts. He finished first on the team with 79 combined tackles in 2016. On January 1, 2017, the San Diego Chargers fired head coach
Mike McCoy after four seasons.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Brown an overall grade of 80.8 and was the second highest rated linebacker of any rookies, behind only
Atlanta Falcons' linebacker
Deion Jones
Deion Jones (born November 4, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was selected by Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2016 NFL ...
(83.0).
2017
During the offseason, the San Diego Chargers officially relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and were renamed the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
. Throughout training camp, new defensive coordinator
Gus Bradley
Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle S ...
held an open competition after opting to switch the Chargers' defense to a base a
4-3 defense and a Cover 3 scheme. Brown competed against
Korey Toomer
Korey Toomer (born December 9, 1988) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Idaho.
Early years
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nev ...
and Kyle Emanuel for the job as the starting weakside linebacker. Head coach
Anthony Lynn
Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is an American football coach and former running back who is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in t ...
named Brown the starting weakside linebacker and Korey Toomer the starting middle linebacker after Denzel Perryman tore an ankle ligament in the Chargers' first preseason game.
He started the
Los Angeles Chargers' season-opener at the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles during a 24–21 loss. In Week 4, he suffered a high ankle sprain during a 26–24 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, but managed to play in 68 of the 75 defensive snaps. In Week 6, Brown was replaced as the starter by Korey Toomer, while
Hayes Pullard was named the starting middle linebacker. Many analysts were confused by the demotion and speculated that Brown was still feeling the effects of his high ankle sprain as that was seen as the only logical conclusion of his demotion. Hayes Pullard and Korey Toomer had an advantage over the other linebackers as they both previously played under first year defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
and
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and also had an established relationship with him. Brown saw his defensive snap count decrease dramatically after Denzel Perryman returned and Week 10 and was moved to starting weakside linebacker. Brown was relegated to special teams and a reserve role on defense, playing dime linebacker in certain situations that needed a linebacker cover a tight end or running back. With his reduced role, Brown did not record a stat in Weeks 13–14. In Week 15, he recorded eight combined tackles during a 30–13 loss at the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
.
Brown finished the 2017 regular season with a total of 79 combined tackles (54 solo) and a pass deflection in 16 games and five starts. From Week 5–17, Brown averaged just 20 snaps on defense a week. He was also replaced as the dime linebacker, as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley opted to go with safety
Adrian Phillips when the offense had three or more wide receivers on the field, which was 64% of the time. The Chargers' defense strived under Gus Bradley, finishing sixth in yards per play (5.1). Brown was given an overall grade of 70.8 by
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
and ranked 46th among all linebackers in overall grade among linebackers in 2017.
2018
Brown entered the 2018 season as a starting outside linebacker alongside Kyle Emanuel and Denzel Perryman. He played in 15 games with 10 starts, finishing second on the team with 97 combined tackles, along with one sack, five passes defended, and a forced fumble. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 17, missed the Chargers wild-card win over the Baltimore Ravens, and was placed on injured reserve on January 7, 2019.
Philadelphia Eagles
On March 27, 2020, Brown signed a one-year contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. On August 9, 2020, Brown announced his retirement from the NFL.
References
External links
Akron Zips bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jatavis
1994 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Akron Zips football players
Los Angeles Chargers players
People from Belle Glade, Florida
San Diego Chargers players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Sportspeople from the Miami metropolitan area