49ers' Ji'Ayir Brown reflects on 'Welcome to the NFL' moment, Dre Greenlaw, Raheem Morris

The San Francisco 49ers selected Ji'Ayir Brown in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the safety quickly found himself in the middle of a championship run. As a rookie, he contributed to a 49ers team that advanced all the way to the Super Bowl.

Brown's role grew as the season progressed. By the time the 49ers reached the playoffs, he had stepped into a starting role on defense following an injury to Talanoa Hufanga.

This week, Brown appeared on Ari Meirov's podcast and discussed several topics as the 49ers prepare for the 2026 NFL season.

George Kittle delivered Brown's 'Welcome to the NFL' moment

Surrounded by defensive stars such as Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and former 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, Brown's most memorable introduction to NFL life actually came from an offensive standout.

"My NFL moment had to be from George Kittle," Brown said. "He don't get the credit he deserves either. This guy is the best tight end to ever play the game, honestly. From a blocking perspective, from a route perspective, catching, how fast he is, how smart he is, George is dope. George is super dope, he's super talented."

Brown said his first real test came during one-on-one reps against Kittle in training camp.

"He gave me my NFL moment because I had to go one-on-ones with him my rookie year, and he was cooking me in the beginning," Brown said. "I was like, 'Man, this is crazy.' And I'm like, 'Alright, I got to tighten up.' And he showed me a different level of the NFL on what it takes to be successful."

Brown added that regularly practicing against Kittle has made game-day matchups against other tight ends easier by comparison.

"None of those guys are like George," Brown said. "George's the best, and I'm not being biased, honestly. But man, the guy is a lot faster than you think, a lot stronger, and he's one of the toughest to play the game."

Dre Greenlaw's impact on the 49ers

Brown also reflected on the 49ers' Super Bowl loss and believes one major turning point was linebacker Dre Greenlaw's injury.

Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Kansas City Chiefs, forcing him out of the game early.

He eventually returned the following season but was limited to just two games. After the 2024 campaign, Greenlaw signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency but was released after the 2025 season. The 49ers moved quickly to bring him back.

To Brown, Greenlaw remains the emotional heartbeat of the unit.

"He is the spark plug," Brown said. "He was back then in '23, and he is now. He's the spark plug. He's the engine. He keeps everybody else going. Fred's the leader, but Dre is the spark plug. He turns the cars on around him. His power, his relentlessness, his attitude, it's so energetic. He feeds the whole 11, whole 10 behind them with that kind of passion, that kind of energy."

Brown does not doubt that the 49ers would have beaten the Chiefs in the Super Bowl if Greenlaw had not been injured. The safety noted that the loss of the star linebacker was felt on the sideline by the players and coaching staff.

"Because if you look back, in the first quarter, Dre had like the first six tackles," Brown said. "He was unstoppable. He was having the game of his life. And while that happens to him, which is so unfortunate, and now, we've got to play without our engine, we've got to play without our spark plug, which we are prepared to do, but it's just not the same [as having] him on the field.

"And honestly, it drained us. I think if Dre Greenlaw [finishes] that game, they never pass the 50-yard line, honestly."

Ji'Ayir Brown on Raheem Morris

Ji'Ayir Brown admits he wishes the 49ers had been able to maintain more consistency at the defensive coordinator position during his NFL career. With Robert Saleh departing to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Brown acknowledged that adjusting to new leadership has been challenging.

"I'm more of a guy, I'd rather have consistency," Browns said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't do that, which is also cool as well. We're going to do whatever's necessary at the end of the day."

Steve Wilks was the 49ers' defensive coordinator during Brown's first NFL season. That was followed by Nick Sorensen in 2024 and Saleh in 2025.

"It was tough kind of adjusting to the different guys, the different personalities, the different leaderships, the way they run meetings, the way they run their defenses," Brown continued. "But we're professionals. At the end of the day, we're able to adjust, we're able to adapt, and are still expected to go out there and execute at the highest level."

Still, Brown believes the 49ers found a strong replacement for Saleh in new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, a two-time Super Bowl champion.

"I like Raheem," Brown said with a big smile. "I like Raheem Morris. He is dope, man. He's brought a lot of different things to the Niners, and like you said, his history with having great defensive backs, I feel like people are going to wake up and see exactly what the San Francisco 49er defensive backfield is capable of with Raheem."

Brown added, "It's going to be a special year. It's going to be special, and Raheem is a big help to that."