College Football 2012 Top 150 Players: No. 127 Jonathan Brown, Illinois LB

No. 127: Jonathan Brown, No. 45, Illinois, Linebacker

Last year, Brown led the Illini in tackles and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten player. He helped lead the Illini to a seventh-ranked total defense, something not a lot of folks realized about a team that finished the regular season with six straight losses. Brown's now a rising junior and even though Vic Koenning is out for the Illini, the linebacker looks to keep his upward trajectory in the Big Ten.

Strengths:

Speed and tenacity. Jonathan Brown can cover some ground. He moves very well sideline to sideline and has that rare ability to get downhill and fight through the wash in a hurry as well. Not only did Brown put up 108 tackles, he was also second on the team with 19.5 tackles for loss. That 19.5 was also good for second in the Big Ten, ahead of guys like Chris Borland (19) and Denicos Allen (18.5). Just a freak number for a linebacker.

Brown sees the ball well, tracks the ball better and when he gets to the ball carrier he gets there with bad intentions. He plays the game with a chip on his shoulder and truly embodies what coaches are looking for out of their linebackers.

Weaknesses:

Attitude. The young man does play that game with a fire that you want but he's crossed the line one major time and played up to the line more than once. Obviously, folks know Brown for his most public misdeed, the knee to the groin of a Northwestern offensive lineman. He was able to rebound to finish the season on a strong note but he has the eyes of opponents and officials on him now. Brown must control his emotion on the field.

2012 Predictions:

Brown is going to have to fight to elbow his way into the All-Big Ten club at the linebacker position. Denicos Allen, Max Bullough, Chris Borland, Gerald Hodges, Mike Taylor plus Ryan Shazier are all jockeying for those six spots that Brown wants. With Whitney Mercilus gone and a new defensive scheme brought in by Tim Banks, Brown will have to learn on the fly to maintain and increase his production. Things won't be easy but the rising junior is a heck of a talent and definitely capable of being the leader that this Illini defense needs through the transition. Expect him to push for 120 tackles. His tackles for loss will likely come down but as a whole he will be a tremendous player in the Big Ten in 2012.