The Green Bay Packers must use the 2020 NFL Draft to provide the finishing touches on a team that won 13 regular-season games and got within one game of the Super Bowl during Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach.
Between now and the draft, Packers Wire will periodically break down one top prospect fitting the Packers’ roster needs.
Up next is Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks:
What he can do
– Moves well in space. Brooks possesses the requisite footspeed to track ballcarriers along the perimeter
– Coverage ability is a question mark since he spent so much time in a QB “spy” role. Looks fluid on tape, but the instincts in coverage are more of an unknown
– Avoids second-level blocks with speed, dipping underneath and scraping over the top. This is where his speed and athleticism factor in. The biggest problem is finishing. While he can set himself up to be in good position, actually getting to the ballcarrier leaves a little to be desired
– When he makes a decision, he can go. Fairly instinctual but played behind a porous defensive front, which muddies the evaluation
– Wins much more by finesse than by power. Doesn’t necessarily “pop” blockers
– Shows some clear “wow” plays on tape: chasing down athletic quarterbacks, pursuing and closing space backside, sorting through the trash to clear a path to make a tackle. Still, Brooks is inconsistent. Again it’s worth wondering how much his supporting cast contributed to that lack of consistency
– Inconsistent ability to perceive run-after-catch angles; can miss tackles by being too aggressive in pursuit of an angle on a pass catcher that no longer exists post-catch.
How he fits
The Packers have an obvious long-term need at linebacker. Playing a solitary linebacker in what amounts to a 5-1 front met its maker against San Francisco. Without speed on the second level, the Packers were continually gashed in the run game. They also couldn’t handle coverage between the hashes. Jordyn Brooks should be viewed as a developmental player with a strong upside. He moves really well for a linebacker. Given time and coaching, it’s reasonable to think he can develop into a quality starter who can be on the field for all three downs. There is risk, though. Brooks plays with some erraticism in his game. He chases runners with questionable angles at times, and he has little experience playing in a true coverage role (at least based on the games we’ve evaluated). It doesn’t mean he can’t. At 6-0, 240, Brooks has the size and athleticism to do what’s asked of him at the NFL level. Nonetheless, the Packers took a flier on a safety-turned-linebacker a few years ago hoping that the athleticism would translate. While the jury is still out on Oren Burks (but looking more doubtful by the day), Brooks has four years of starting experience at the linebacker position and has the basic tools to be a really, really good player. With Christian Kirksey expected to take the LB1 role, the current makeup of the roster makes a lot of sense to add someone like Brooks at the right draft spot.
NFL Comp
NFL.com sees A.J. Klein. Athletically, Brooks profiles like Zach Brown or Deion Jones.
Where Packers could get him
Based on mock drafts and projections, Brooks could go anywhere from the end of the second round all the way to the third day, depending on how teams think he’ll be able to develop as a coverage linebacker. For the Packers, it’s probably a little rich to grab him with pick No. 62. It makes much more sense from a need-value standpoint to target Brooks in the third. If they can get him anywhere after that, it’s a no-brainer.
Previous Prospects for the Pack
WR Tee Higgins
LB Kenneth Murray
LB Patrick Queen
WR Jalen Reagor
WR Justin Jefferson
TE Harrison Bryant
WR Denzel Mims
WR Brandon Aiyuk
WR/TE Chase Claypool
LB Zack Baun
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
OT Josh Jones
WR Laviska Shenault
OT Austin Jackson
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
DL Raekwon Davis
DB Xavier McKinney
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
DL A.J. Epenesa
TE Hunter Bryant
RB Jonathan Taylor
RB Zack Moss
WR Michael Pittman
WR K.J. Hamler
WR John Hightower