Julius Brents, CB Kansas State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Brents was a three-star safety recruit from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind. in the class of 2018

Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents is one of the most physically gifted prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. The future Senior Bowl participant is larger than Ahmad Gardner and has longer arms than the vaunted 2022 draft selection. Brents should go in the top 100 picks this coming spring.

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Julius Brents, CB Kansas State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior outside cornerback from Indianapolis, Ind.

Background: Brents was a three-star safety recruit from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 439 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 482 for On3.com. Brents was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. Brents earned First-Team All-Conference honors in three straight high school seasons and First-Team All-County honors as a junior and senior. He was a team captain as a senior and totaled 18 tackles, one interception, and three passes defensed. As a junior, he tallied 20 tackles, two sacks, and three passes defensed along with 25 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed as a sophomore. Brents also participated in track and field. He originally committed to Iowa before transferring to Kansas State for the 2021 season. Brents was born on Jan. 18, 2000.

2021 Production: 13 games, 49 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 passes defensed

2020 Production: 7 games, 4 tackles, 1 pass defensed

2019 Production: 1 game (Redshirt Year)

2018 Production: 11 games, 13 tackles, 1 interception, 3 passes defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered an injury in 2019 and redshirted

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12

Pros: Excellent size for a corner, larger wingspan and longer arms than Ahmad Gardner, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, cleaned up missed tackles in 2022, active hands to disrupt the catch point, enough speed to carry routes vertically without getting stacked, surprisingly loose hips at his size, no fear coming downhill against the run, closing burst to the tackle, looks to jump and make plays on wide receiver screens, physical tackler, squeezes routes along the sideline, good ball tracking skills, rises to contest for the ball, erases routes with outside releases, stays in-phase with little difficulty, impressive leaping ability

Cons: Age, limited to no experience in the slot, needs to show better discipline when approaching tackles, aggressiveness attacking potential screens runs him out of position, block shedding and leverage as a run defender against wide receivers, quick to declare his hips, drew penalties in three consecutive games in 2022, sometimes gets grabby or caught with his eyes in the backfield, not the ideal man to handle twitchy receivers, backpedal is higher and slower than ideal, motor runs hot and cold in run defense, caught flat footed at times, not many reps in heavy press coverage

Overview: Brents is unofficially listed at 6'4", 202 lbs. He spends most of his time operating as a boundary corner in zone coverage for Kansas State. The former three-star recruit is at his best when he’s allowed to keep his eyes on the quarterback, which might explain why he frequently uses the bail technique. Brents is one of the most physically gifted athletes in the 2023 draft class. He reportedly has 33 7/8" arms and a wingspan slightly surpassing 6'10". For reference, those are both larger than Ahamad Gardner’s verified measurements from the 2022 NFL Combine. Per the website MockDraftable, Gardner’s arm length and wingspan are both in the 95th percentile or higher among cornerbacks dating back to when those combine measurements became publicly available. Brents is also an explosive athlete. According to ESPN, he posted a 39.3" vertical jump in high school, which would’ve ranked third among cornerbacks at the 2022 NFL Combine behind Zyon McCollum and Tariq Woolen. Brents uses his length and vertical prowess to attack the football at the catch point. His physicality, wide sphere of influence, and active hands make jump balls a fool’s errand. Brents displays good ball tracking skills and rises to contest for the ball at its apex. He showcases enough speed to carry routes vertically without getting stacked. The Iowa transfer has surprisingly loose hips for a player his size. Brents squeezes routes along the sideline and does an excellent job at erasing routes with outside releases. He stays in-phase with little difficulty against most receivers, but the NFL’s elite speedsters and twitchier pass catchers could cause him trouble. Unlike many corners in this class, Brents has no fear coming downhill against the run. He’s a physical tackler and a significant contributor in the running game. Brents has great closing burst to the tackle and always looks to jump and make plays on wide receiver screens. However, he needs to show better discipline when approaching tackles to avoid slipping off them or over pursuing. Despite his aggressive mentality, Brents struggles to shed blocks and win the leverage battle as a run defender against wide receivers. Sometimes his aggressiveness attacking potential screens runs him out of position in coverage. Brents gets caught with his eyes in the backfield at times, which leads to him grabbing receivers and fouling to recover. He drew penalties in three consecutive games in 2022. Brents’ backpedal is higher than ideal, and his foot speed needs to improve. He’s quick to declare his hips when not playing bail technique. Brents is an impact run defender with an aggressive mentality, but his motor runs hot and cold in run defense.

Overall, Brents is less of a scheme-diverse corner than many prospects in the 2023 draft class, but he possesses rare physical tools and high-end movement skills for his size. The recent success of larger corners should afford Brents more wiggle room with NFL scouts than he would’ve had in the past. Right now, he isn’t a top-50 pick, but a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine could catapult him up draft boards.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in a zone-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Second to Mid Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 11-30-22