Brooks first hit my radar when I watched him wreck opposing offenses for Bowling Green as a 6-foot-4, 300-pound guy who played the edge on more than 75% of his snaps in 2022. Brooks totaled 12 sacks and an FBS-high 69 total pressures despite his size, and the Packers stole him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft.
The decision was made to put Brooks inside on 74% of his snaps last season — which wasn’t as fun, but Brooks managed to be a very good disruptor in his new role. He had four sacks and 30 pressures overall on 309 pass-rushing snaps, and one sack and nine pressures came from the edge.
So, here’s an ascending young player who can win from just about anywhere on the line.
.@packers rookie DL Karl Brooks first made me aware during his 2022 season at Bowling Green, when he was a primary edge-rusher at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds (!!!). Green Bay moved him inside more often with no real drop in productivity. A guy to watch. pic.twitter.com/z2ReYJL0Ty
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 23, 2024
