Tag: Julius Brents

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 52, Kansas State DB Julius Brents

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Kansas State defensive back Julius Brents.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

As it stands right now there are a lot of moving parts and question marks surrounding Green Bay’s secondary. Adrian Amos is set to be a free agent, leaving Darnell Savage Jr as their only safety under contract with any meaningful snaps under his belt. 

At cornerback, Jaire Alexander is fresh off an All-Pro season. Right now, he’s the only sure thing in Joe Barry’s secondary.

Rasul Douglas, like the rest of the defense, struggled with consistency. Douglas struggled playing in the slot, but even after moving back on the boundary he failed to replicate the success he had the year prior. There have been talks about Green Bay possibly moving Douglas to safety. That’s one moving part. 

Prior to suffering a season-ending injury, Eric Stokes was going through a sophomore slump. How will he look coming off that injury in training camp? During his rookie season, Stokes looked like a lockdown cornerback. Will he be able to get back to that level of play in year three?

Where will the Packers play Savage? Will they have him in the slot? If the Packers can get anything for him would they be open to trading the former first-round pick after he got benched last season? 

The pieces are there, it’s just a matter of where they will fit. With how talented the cornerback class is in the 2023 NFL Draft it’s a safe bet that Brian Gutekunst will add at least one, possibly even two cornerbacks in the upcoming draft.

A player that Green Bay’s general manager could target in April is Julius Brents. The Kansas State cornerback checks in at No. 52 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

A recruit out of Indiana, Brents started his collegiate career at Iowa before transferring to Kansas State. During his first season as a Wildcat, he recorded 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one interception.

This past season Brents recorded 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and four pass deflections. 

“Julius had a really good season for Kansas State,” Drew Galloway, the Kansas State reporter for On3Sports said. “He essentially took away a side of the field in every game. K-State never does matchups so he just was on one side of the field the whole season and did a really good job. He was good in his first season as well but did a lot better when the ball was in the air. He was victim to a lot of really good catches a year ago because he couldn’t finish the play but this season he finished the play well and did a good job. His improvement is one of the reasons why K-State won the Big 12.”

Standing at 6-3, with 34-inch arms, his length goes on for days. With his length, he chokes passing windows and gives the quarterback a small window to throw into. He’s disruptive at the catch point and does a good job of playing through the hands of the wide receiver. To go along with that length, Brents can leap out of the stadium. A former track athlete, Brents showcased his leaping ability at the scouting combine with a 41.5-inch vertical and an 11-06 mark in the broad jump. 

“The thing that makes him so effective in coverage is his length,” Galloway said. “If he gets beat deep he can always make up for it with his length. He had a rep in one on ones at the senior bowl where the quarterback didn’t even throw the ball because of Brents’ length bothering the receiver in coverage.”

Brents has a twitchy lower half and swivel hips. In zone coverage, Brents has disciplined eyes and showcases good route recognition. Brents uses his length and physicality to reroute wide receivers. 

“His biggest strength is being sticky in coverage,” Galloway said. “He rarely gets beat deep and is always super sticky. He uses his size really well and is always in the right spot when it comes to coverage.”

Brents is a physical coming up in run support. He looks like a safety with the way he throws his body around. With his length, he has a large tackle radius. He has a high batting average as a tackler. According to Pro Football Focus, Brents had just four missed tackles this past season with three coming in Kansas State’s matchup against Oklahoma. Brents didn’t miss a tackle all season after that week four matchup against the Sooners. 

“Brents is really, really good in run support,” Galloway said. “He made a lot of plays in run support this season. In the Oklahoma game, he made some big plays in run support. It’s kind of interesting when talking about a corner but one place where K-State missed him in the Texas game where he was ejected for targeting in the second play of the game was in run support.”

Brents played primarily on the boundary during his time as a Wildcat. He has the short-area quickness and agility to line up in the slot and he has the size, length, and physicality to match up with tight ends. Some teams may even view him as a safety. Galloway said his best fit is on the boundary where he has the ability to take half the field away. 

“I think he’s best suited to be a boundary corner at the next level,” Galloway said. “He doesn’t blow you away with speed but he’s so reliable and can take away a whole side of the field.”

Fit with the Packers

When the Packers take the field to open the season what will their secondary look like? Who will be playing in the slot? Who will be the two starting safeties? Who will be starting opposite Alexander on the boundary? There are a lot of balls up in the air.

With so many moving parts, the only thing that’s certain is that Gutekunst will add a player to the mix.

Brents has rare length for the position and he has the ability to play anywhere in the secondary. With his athleticism, size, and physicality, Brents could be a day-two target for the Packers as they look to add more talent to the secondary. 

Where Brents would fit in that puzzle would be a question mark. What isn’t a question is the rare traits that the Kansas State defensive back would bring to Green Bay’s secondary. 

“Brents has so many things that can’t be taught,” Galloway said. “He has crazy size, length, and athleticism for a corner. He’s extremely reliable in coverage and Quienten Johnston called him the best corner he’s gone up against in both seasons. His biggest weakness is probably his ball skills which is something that can be taught over his other attributes. He has everything you could possibly want from a corner. He’s a great leader as well.”

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Colts’ 7-round mock draft post NFL combine

Here’s a 7-round mock draft for the Colts following the NFL combine.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, which means it’s time to roll out another seven-round mock draft for the Indianapolis Colts.

With the majority of athletic testing numbers assigned to hundreds of prospects, the Colts will have a better idea of what type of athletes they are dealing with in this class.

But as we know with the Colts, the interviews and face-to-face meetings with these prospects are just as important as their production and measurements. Unfortunately, that’s a side of the draft process we get little insight into.

So with the combine now behind us, here’s an updated look at a seven-round mock for the Colts using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator:

5 defensive prospects the Seahawks have met with at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

Here are all of the defensive prospects that Seattle has met with so far at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, according to Walter Football.

The Seattle Seahawks were at their best when they dominated the NFL defensively. For four straight seasons (2012-2015) they had the top defense in the league. While nobody can maintain a run like that forever, the results since then have been mostly underwhelming and disappointing. Pete Carroll admitted as much in his end-of-season press conference, when he told reporters that the ongoing defensive issues are “killing him.” Whatever they try schematically, the Seahawks will never get back to being an elite defense unless they get some serious upgrades at several positions.

Good news: this year Seattle has five picks in the first three rounds of the draft and the second-most capital all together. That puts them in rare position to get some real difference-makers on defense. So, who’s on their list? There are at least a few names we know for sure they’re interested in.

Here are all of the defensive prospects that Seattle has met with so far at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, according to Walter Football.

Vikings draft prospects: 6 players that impressed at the combine on Friday

The secondary prospects balled out on day two of the NFL Scouting Combine with multiple players jumping out of the building

The NFL Scouting Combine kicked off with a bang on Thursday afternoon by starting with the defensive lineman and linebackers. There was a lot of intrigue with this group, especially at the top.

On Friday, we got the secondary players with the cornerbacks and safeties. This is one of, if not the, deepest class in recent memory.

Early on, we saw some insane jumps and they matched it with their 40-times. Here are six players that really stood out on Friday afternoon.

3 cornerbacks to watch for Chiefs at 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

Here are three cornerback prospects the #Chiefs should be keeping an eye on as on-field drills and testing continue on Friday.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine continues with the latest group of prospects hitting the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for on-field drills and workouts. You can watch the cornerbacks, safeties and special teamers workout from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network.

The Kansas City Chiefs added a number of young contributors to the team via the draft just a season ago. Several of those players posted impressive performances at the combine. The team will look to follow up its standout 2022 draft class by adding even more instant-impact players in 2023.

Keep an eye on the following three cornerbacks working out on Friday. A head-turning performance could put any number of the players squarely on the radar for Brett Veach and company.

6 cornerbacks to watch for the Colts at 2023 NFL combine

Here are six cornerbacks to watch for the Colts at the NFL combine.

The 2023 NFL Combine is well underway, and the Indianapolis Colts have some critical decisions to make.

The status of cornerbacks Kenny Moore II and Brandon Facyson is undecided, leaving the door open for the team to draft a potential replacement for either role.

This year’s cornerbacks class is littered with talent, and the front office staff will have their work cut out for them when evaluating.

Here are six cornerbacks that could catch the eye of the Colts during the combine workouts Friday:

Which prospects should boost their draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine?

These prospects should boost their draft stock with impressive performances at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine

Every year, the NFL Scouting Combine gives draft hopefuls the opportunity to boost their stock with impressive performances in a wide range of physical drills.

This year’s event will be no exception, as more than 300 of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class descend upon Indianapolis for the opportunity to impress team decision-makers from across the league.

Which of this year’s talented players should make the most of their trip to Lucas Oil Stadium, and boost their stock ahead of the draft?

Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling and USA TODAY Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon discuss:

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2023 NFL draft film room: Kansas State CB Julius Brents

See for yourself what makes Kansas State’s Julius Brents one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class

It’s officially NFL draft season, so it’s time to get to know the best players at every positions in the 2023 class.

What makes Kansas State’s Julius Brents one of this year’s top cornerback prospects?

Watch the tape and see for yourself:

VIDEO: Which under-the-radar prospects will be household names after the scouting combine?

Which relatively unknown draft prospects will be household names after their performances at the scouting combine? 

Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. It’s all about draft prospects with the scouting combine getting started this week, so Doug and Luke get into a bunch of questions about all the draft prospects looking to raise their games in Indianapolis — both on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and in private interviews with NFL teams.

Which relatively unknown draft prospects will be household names after their performances at the scouting combine? 

Doug: Pitt defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who excelled in college at 6-foot-0 and 280 pounds (unofficial). The Pitt connection and the fact that he’s undersized have people comparing him to Aaron Donald, and I’m not willing to go that far, he reminds me a ton of Grady Jarrett, which isn’t bad, either. Kancey is a defender with an assassin’s mentality, which makes me think he’s going to be really violent in the bag drills, and I think he’s quick and agile enough to ace the 40 (specifically the 10- and 20-yard splits), and all the movement exercises, as well. I don’t know if anything will push him into the first round, because some teams will have no idea what to do with him at that size, but as they say, all it takes is one team to make that a reality. 

Luke: Man, I’ve gotta cheat here. There are a few guys I think fall into this category, and I’m excited to watch them all. Kansas State CB Julius Brents is a legit 6-3, 200-plus, with length for days. If he runs fast and looks good in the cone drills, he could fly up the board. Arkansas LB Drew Sanders was a 5-star recruit to Alabama, and has a great blend of size, length, athleticism and versatility that teams should fall in love with in Indy. Georgia Tech’s Keion White is the last guy, again because of size, athleticism, and versatility. All of these guys should be household names after the combine.

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4-Down Territory: 2023 scouting combine preview

It’s scouting combine time! Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling are here to ask answer all the questions about this year’s prominent draft event.

Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. It’s all about draft prospects with the scouting combine getting started this week, so Doug and Luke get into a bunch of questions about all the draft prospects looking to raise their games in Indianapolis — both on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, and in private interviews with NFL teams.

This week’s pressing questions:

1. Which top-tier prospect most needs a great combine performance?

2. Who among the lesser-known prospects could see their stock rise in Indianapolis?

3. Which prospects will be most reliant on positive medical reports?

4. Finally, which prospect are you most looking forward to seeing in the on-field drills?

You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here!

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