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Penn State football: Jaquan Brisker overcomes adversity on road to draft day

IMG_1698 5 (1)by: David Eckert04/04/22davideckert98
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Safety Jaquan Brisker ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at Penn State's Pro Day. (Credit: Thomas Frank Carr)

After Penn State product Jaquan Brisker finished his warm-up at the NFL Combine in early March and made his way over to the bench press, he could feel his back start to act up. 

“I’m doing the bench, my back was getting tight,” Brisker said. “Once I finished, my back was just super tight…But I’m a competitor, I like to finish through everything.” 

The hiccup in Indianapolis left Brisker with something to prove. 

Specifically, Brisker said he wanted to improve upon his vertical jump. He registered a 34.5-inch vert in Indianapolis, something he said wasn’t close to the numbers he’d been posting in his pre-combine workouts. 

At Penn State’s Pro Day later in March, Brisker made things right. He added four full inches to his vertical, posting a 38.5. He also took six-tenths of a second off his 40-yard dash time, running a 4.43 inside Holuba Hall.

“I just wanted to come out here and show that with a better back I could jump 38.5 and move like a corner,” Brisker said. 

Brisker added that he’s been selling his versatility to NFL scouts and executives when they approach him. He played safety for the Nittany Lions during his three years in Happy Valley, but his future could include a broader role. 

“Some teams just asked me what I could do, if I could play all six [secondary] positions,” Brisker said. “And I say yes. Throughout junior college and throughout my time here I’ve shown my versatility. I showed that I could play anywhere in the secondary, whether that’s corner, nickel, boundary nickel or both safety spots.” 

Brisker’s Penn State production speaks for itself

Certainly, there wasn’t much Brisker couldn’t do in a Penn State jersey. 

Transferring in from Lackawanna College before the start of the 2019 season, Brisker earned snaps from the very beginning. 

He became a starter for the Nittany Lions in his second season on campus and promptly transformed into one of the best safeties in the Big Ten and all of college football. 

When opposing quarterbacks targeted Brisker in 2021, they achieved just a 46.8 passer rating. 

The season before, Brisker missed just one tackle in nine games, notching an outstanding 91.8 tackling grade from experts at Pro Football Focus. 

A complete product by his third go-around in Happy Valley, Brisker was awarded a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. 

His contributions didn’t stop on the field, either, according to head coach James Franklin. 

“He’s been a great leader with the younger players, his interactions with me have been fantastic [and] he’s been great with helping us recruit in Pittsburgh,” Franklin said. 

“I’m just really proud of him.”

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