Sam’s Film Room: Jordyn Brooks showed massive development in rookie season

The Seattle Seahawks took Jordyn Brooks at the end of the first round. It was clear they did this as a future replacement for KJ Wright. Also, they really needed speed on their defense. Facing quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and now Trey Lance in the ultra-competitive NFC West, this was 100 percent necessary.

From his scouting report, one of the main concerns people had with Brooks was his pass coverage. As I broke down in my video and in my article on Field Gulls, these concerns were very overblown. Texas Tech used him as a pass rusher and quarterback spy out of necessity not due to a lack of skill-set. Regardless, I wanted to see how Brooks fared during his rookie season.

To be perfectly honest, he was unfortunately very bad in pass coverage to start the season. He allowed over 2.0 yards per cover snap during his first six games. The good news, however, is that Brooks improved massively throughout his rookie season. He was much better at recognizing route combinations and he generally seemed more aware situationally of what an offense was trying to do. In his final five games, he only allowed 1.3 yards per cover snap which is in line with other first round linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Patrick Queen.

In addition to looking at pass coverage duties, I also looked at his play in the run game. Hand technique was the main thing I was concerned with him entering the NFL and he also showed improvement there. He was much better at using his hands to create leverage to constrict running lanes, while also using them to stack and shed in order to make plays.

If Brooks continues to develop like he did as a rookie and carries that into next season as a full-time starter in the Seahawks’ defense, there is no reason to believe he can’t become a top tier linebacker in a very short time. He definitely has all the physical tools to get there.

This video is over 8 minutes long. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

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