Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks is not a name that was featured on many top-100s or buzzy watchlists before the season. After catching just three passes in nine games at Alabama in 2023, the senior transfer was largely overlooked.
Not anymore. Brooks has emerged as a legit 2025 NFL Draft prospect and his stock is rising by the week. On Friday night against Boston College, Brooks continued his climb up draft charts.
It’s fitting that Brooks wears No. 1 for the Cardinals, because he is clearly the No. 1 option. The defenses from Miami last week and then Boston College have known that in the last two weeks, too, but that hasn’t really mattered. Even with the coverage keying on Brooks, he keeps delivering with clutch catches all over the field.
On Louisville’s first scoring drive on Friday night at Boston College, Brooks caught three straight Tyler Shough passes to set up the touchdown. He held onto a post pattern catch that led him into a vicious (and clean) hit from the Eagles safety, but Brooks popped right up, showing his toughness. He even threw a solid block on the touchdown run two plays later.
Brooks ended the night with eight catches for 120 yards in helping key the major comeback road win. That comes on the heels of a 6-catch outing against Miami for 106 yards and two scores. Brooks’ ability to win over hte middle and outside the numbers continues to impress. His performance in pressure situations the last two weeks really stands out.