NFL Draft Profile: Kennedy Brooks, Running Back, Oklahoma Sooners
#26
Pos: RB
Ht: 5110
Wt: 209
Hands: 0758
Arms: 3028
40: 4.59
Bench: 14
3-Cone: 7.00
Shuttle: 4.4
Vertical: 31
Broad Jump: 1000
DOB: 10/8/98
Eligible: 2022
Mansfield, TX
Mansfield High School
Kennedy Brooks
Oklahoma Sooners
Pros:
Pun: While Kennedy Brooks has many injury concerns, his play on the field is so tantalizing that he warrants interest from NFL teams. He’s well built - a thick upper body with a wide frame and solid stiff arm aids in a bruising running style. Oklahoma utilized a multiple-run scheme, though Brooks is best as a one-cut RB in a Zone scheme, displaying the ability to get from East-West to North-South with ease. Brooks has a unique running style, one that is much like Derrick Henry, another bulky RB who runs with a high center of gravity. Like Henry, Brooks is best when he can keep his feet moving and momentum going forward, while taking subtle, quick, rounded cuts rather than wide pronounced jump cuts. Instead of hopping around patiently at the LOS - stopping his momentum and forcing him to accelerate quickly - Brooks is going one pace the entire time, and just looking to get downhill. While he takes a bit longer to accelerate than one would like, once he hits the open field past 10-15 yards, Brooks has good top speed to separate downfield from DBs for big gains. In addition, Brooks is an effective runner behind pulling actions - a staple for the Sooners - due to discipline while following his blockers and attacking the designed hole. Brooks also played in 2-RB sets on occasion where he was asked to make lead and split blocks. He was good at ID’ing the appropriate defender to block and positioning himself well to make contact consistently. Lastly, while in pass protection, Brooks shows quick mental processing to locate blitzers and does a good job to square up to his target and absorb a blow.
Cons:
Pun: Kennedy Brooks is an enticing running back, but not a perfect one. His slim lower body pales in comparison to his upper body and his skinny legs hurt his effectiveness in many areas. Firstly, he lacks good COD and his cuts don’t create a lot of space as he struggles to efficiently plant and explode on either leg in one fluid motion. In addition, he’s severely lacking stop-start acceleration in short areas which hurts his ability to burst through tight holes. The last area where his lack of lower body strength limits Brooks is his anchoring in pass protection - he gets in good position but allows penetration as he struggles to engage his lower body and ground himself vs LBs or DBs. Moving on, Brooks has an argument for the RB in the nation who benefited most from an elite offensive line consistently opening up wide rushing lanes no matter the play call and that likely won’t be a luxury he’s afforded in the NFL. Furthermore, his ability to earn early playing time will be limited due to deficiencies in the passing game with poor route salesmanship and the aforementioned lack of play strength as a blocker.
Summary:
Pun: While a vast injury history will have teams doubting Brooks’ durability, he is undoubtedly an impactful player when on the field. A one-cut back with a bruising mentality, Brooks will succeed in Zone schemes that keep his momentum going forward and is functional in pulling Power actions as well. The mental and technical side is there as a pass blocker but a lack of lower body strength limits his effectiveness there and when making jump cuts in the open field. Brooks can be a valuable RB who takes on first and second down duties in a committee approach, particularly on a team with an established third-down back.
Background:
Kennedy Brooks was born October 8th, 1998 in Mansfield Texas. He attended Mansfield High School where he played running back, finishing his career with an eye-popping 7,658 rushing yards and 96 touchdowns on 885 carries (8.7 yards per rush). Brooks was named Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s 2016 Super Team Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,865 yards and 40 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior. He was also named a second-team All-American by MaxPreps and won the Landry Award as the top high school player in North Texas. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 4-Star recruit, the 216th-best recruit nationally, the 16th-ranked running back recruit in the country and the 35th recruit in the state of Texas. Brooks missed his first season at Oklahoma with a shoulder injury and thus redshirted. He returned in 2018 where he achieved A USA Today Freshman All-American, a Pro Football Focus Second-Team All-American, and ranked third nationally with 8.9 yards per rush. As a Sophomore in 2019, he was a second-team All-Big 12 honoree by the league's coaches and media. He played in 13 games and started each of the last 10 in which he appeared. Sadly, the 2020 pandemic ultimately led Brooks to his decision of opting out from the 2020 season, where he was a Redshirt Junior. Coach Lincoln Riley said Brooks was expected to lead the Sooners' backfield committee in 2020, however, Brooks plans on coming back in 2021. Kennedy’s best friend Jeremiah Hall says about his return, “Physically, he's still there. Mentally, he's still there. He might've been gone for a year but that doesn't mean he didn't work. He's ready and he expects to compete and put on a show.” Coach Lincoln Riley said about Brooks, “You’ve got a guy that's obviously played a lot of ball and is a very smart football player that you feel like will be able to get back into the swing of things pretty quickly."
One-Liners
Pun: A one-cut back with a bruising mentality who succeeds best in Zone schemes and is functional in pulling Power actions but a lack of lower body strength limits effectiveness as a blocker and his injury concerns are more than legit.
Grades
Current Player Value/Potential Player Value
Pun: 7.3 / 8.3
