NFL Draft Profile: Karl Brooks, EDGE, Bowling Green Falcons
Karl Brooks
Bowling Green Falcons
#11
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6033
Wt: 303
Hand: 900
Arm: 3228
Wing: 7768
40: 5.10
DOB: 36654REFORMAT
Hometown: Lansing, MI
High School: Lansing Sexton
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Brooks lacks ideal arm length and sometimes plays with an elevated pad level, but he’s a powerful defensive end with a well-developed set of pass rush moves.
Evaluation:
Brooks has experience lining up in two and three-point stances and operates from the 3-tech to 5-tech positions. The Bowling Green edge rusher is experienced on the punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units. Brooks has a well-proportioned frame with room to add mass and restructure parts of his build. Against the run, he keeps his eyes in the backfield to track the running back. He offers closing burst as a backside run defender and displays relentless pursuit. Brooks drops his anchor against double teams to hold space. He gets his hands up for pass breakups and gets skinny to shoot gaps. Brooks is explosive off the line, which stresses offensive linemen in the run and pass game. As a pass rusher, the former three-star recruit fakes inside with his footwork to set up outside moves and vice versa. He deploys a lethal array of hand swipes to accompany cross chops, swims, rips, spins, and two-armed bull rushes. His active and powerful hands attack the tackle’s hands. Brooks converts speed to power to displace linemen. He threatens inside rush lanes occasionally, but he needs to work back to the tackle’s inside shoulder more often to avoid getting carried too far upfield and around the pocket. Brooks displays counters that revive his rush after the initial move dies. His hand placement is usually accurate and effective. Brooks flicks his hips to flatten his rush angle to the quarterback, but stiffness in other parts of his frame prevents him from displaying high-end bend around the edge. He appears a little high-hipped, which causes issues with his pad level and ability to establish leverage. Unfortunately, Brooks appears to have subpar arm length, which limits his tackle radius and causes him to slide off some tackle attempts. There are also instances where he struggles to separate from blocks. The Michigan native lacks the mass to reduce inside consistently at the NFL level. He isn’t sudden or twitchy and lacks elite short-area agility. Brooks’ pass rush plan has its flaws. There are some false backward steps at the start of his rush, and he’s sometimes late off the line. His bull rush’s effectiveness is inconsistent. Building more power in his leg drive could make his bull rush a better weapon. Brooks doesn’t generate displacement against double teams, and his active hands sometimes get wild and undisciplined. He benefited from playing against lesser competition than his Power Five counterparts. NFL teams shouldn’t overlook Brooks’ role as a leader and two-time captain on a talented defensive line that paved the way to Bowling Green’s best record since 2015.
Grade:
4th Round
Background:
Brooks was a three-star linebacker recruit from Lansing Sexton High School in Lansing, Mich., in the class of 2018. He was the No. 2,078 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,928 according to On3.com. Brooks was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He didn’t receive a star ranking or a grade out of 100 from ESPN. In high school, Brooks received Second-Team All-State honors from The Detroit News and was a First-Team All-Conference selection. He amassed more than 100 tackles, including 12 sacks and five forced fumbles during his high school career. Brooks also played wide receiver at Lansing Sexton High School. He earned Third-Team All-MAC honors in 2021 and First-Team All-MAC honors in 2022. Brooks served as a captain for Bowling Green in 2021 and 2022.
