Every year in the draft players get taken in the later rounds that end up developing into great players. Bowling Green defensive lineman Karl Brooks could be one of those players in this year’s class. The Cleveland Browns need to add talent along the defensive line and they should scout Brooks closely. Bowling Green lined him up inside, outside with his hand in the dirt, and outside as a stand-up rusher.
Brooks is a big strong player at nearly 300 pounds but moves well and faster than you would expect at his size. He primarily wins with his strength and regularly bull-rushed offensive linemen into quarterback’s laps. He has violent hands and strikes offensive linemen’s hands away to prevent them from taking control of his rush.
The production is there the last two seasons Brooks had 17.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss combined. The biggest question will be the jump in competition from a small school to the NFL. The Senior Bowl will be huge for Brooks so that he can showcase his skills against better competition.
Brooks likely won’t go until the end of day two or sometime on day three of the draft but the production and characteristics are there for a late-round gem.
