Karl Brooks, EDGE Bowling Green: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Brooks was a three-star linebacker recruit from Lansing Sexton High School in Lansing, Mich. in the class of 2018

Bowling Green defensive end Karl Brooks is a small school prospect who could crack the top 100 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Brooks showcases a developed pass rush plan and was one of college football’s most productive defenders in 2022.

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Karl Brooks, EDGE Bowling Green: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth year senior defensive end from Lansing, Mich.

Background: Brooks was a three-star linebacker recruit from Lansing Sexton High School in Lansing, Mich. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 2,078 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,928 according to On3.com. Brooks was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He didn’t receive a star ranking or a grade out of 100 from ESPN. In high school, Brooks received Second-Team All-State honors from The Detroit News and was a First-Team All-Conference selection. He amassed more than 100 tackles, including 12 sacks, and five forced fumbles during his high school career. Brooks also played wide receiver at Lansing Sexton High School.

2022 Production: 13 games, 50 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 70 pressures, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 passes defensed

2021 Production: 12 games, 42 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 36 pressures, 7.5 sacks

2020 Production: 3 games, 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 4 pressures, 2 sacks

2019 Production: 12 games, 33 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 35 pressures, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed

2018 Production: 12 games, 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 16 pressures, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Injuries & Off-Field: 2021 and 2022 team captain, missed two games with a foot injury in 2020

Awards: 2021 Third-Team All-MAC, 2022 First-Team All-MAC

Pros: Offers some alignment versatility and ability to reduce inside, experience on the punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units, well-proportioned frame with room to add some mass, drops his anchor against double teams, explosive off the line, offers closing burst as a back side run defender, fakes inside with his footwork to set up outside moves and vice versa, hand swipes, cross chop, swim move, rip move, spin move, two-armed bull rush, active and powerful hands, attacks the tackle’s hands, converts speed to power, threatens inside rush lanes, flips hips and flattens rush angle to the quarterback, counters revive his rush after the initial move dies, eyes into the backfield to track the running back, relentless pursuit, gets hands up for PBUs, hand placement is usually accurate and effective, gets skinny to shoot gaps

Cons: Appears to have subpar arm length, limited tackle radius, penalized eight times in the past two years, competition level, missed tackles remain a concern, some false backward steps in his rush plan, appears a little high-hipped, pad level leads to losing leverage battle, sometimes late off the line, stiffness limits his bend off the edge, lacks the mass to reduce inside consistently, leg drive needs to be more powerful, doesn’t generate displacement against double teams, rush carries him too far upfield and around the pocket, needs to work back to the tackle’s inside shoulder more often, hands get a little wild at times, bull rush’s effectiveness is inconsistent, instances where he struggles to separate from blocks, not sudden or twitchy, lacks elite short-area agility

Overview: Brooks is unofficially listed at 6'4", 300 lbs. He applied pressure on 13.41% of his pass rush snaps in 2019, 14.1% in 2021, and 17.78% in 2022. He has experience lining up in two and three-point stances and operates from the 3-tech to 5-tech positions. The Bowling Green edge rusher is experienced on the punt return, punt coverage, field goal block, and field goal units. Brooks has a well-proportioned frame with room to add mass and restructure parts of his build. Against the run, he keeps his eyes in the backfield to track the running back. He offers closing burst as a back side run defender and displays relentless pursuit. Brooks drops his anchor against double teams to hold space. He gets his hands up for pass breakups and gets skinny to shoot gaps. Brooks is explosive off the line, which stresses offensive linemen in the run and pass game. As a pass rusher, the former three-star recruit fakes inside with his footwork to set up outside moves and vice versa. He deploys a lethal array of hand swipes to accompany cross chops, swims, rips, spins, and two-armed bull rushes. His active and powerful hands attack the tackle’s hands. Brooks converts speed to power to displace linemen. He threatens inside rush lanes occasionally, but he needs to work back to the tackle’s inside shoulder more often to avoid getting carried too far upfield and around the pocket. Brooks displays counters that revive his rush after the initial move dies. His hand placement is usually accurate and effective. Brooks flicks his hips to flatten his rush angle to the quarterback, but stiffness in other parts of his frame prevents him from displaying high-end bend around the edge. He appears a little high-hipped, which causes issues with his pad level and ability to establish leverage. Unfortunately, Brooks appears to have subpar arm length, which limits his tackle radius and causes him to slide off some tackle attempts. There are also instances where he struggles to separate from blocks. The Michigan native lacks the mass to reduce inside consistently at the NFL level. He isn’t sudden or twitchy and lacks elite short-area agility. Brooks’ pass rush plan has its flaws. There are some false backward steps at the start of his rush, and he’s sometimes late off the line. His bull rush’s effectiveness is inconsistent. Building more power in his leg drive could make his bull rush a better weapon. Brooks doesn’t generate displacement against double teams, and his active hands sometimes get wild and undisciplined. He benefited from playing against lesser competition than his Power Five counterparts. NFL teams shouldn’t overlook Brooks’ role as a leader and two-time captain on a talented defensive line that paved the way to Bowling Green’s best record since 2015.

Overall, Brooks lacks ideal arm length and sometimes plays with an elevated pad level, but he’s a powerful defensive end with a well-developed set of pass rush moves. Brooks projects best as a two-year project in a 4-3 defensive scheme. He should spend his rookie season building muscle, restructuring his frame, and refining his hand usage.

Role & Scheme Fit: Defensive end in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 01-05-23