Myles Brooks, CB Louisiana Tech: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Brooks was a three-star recruit from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas in the class of 2019

The 2023 NFL Draft is loaded with cornerback talent. While many teams will search for answers at corner in the first three rounds, Louisiana Tech’s Myles Brooks will offer tremendous upside as a fourth or fifth round selection.

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Myles Brooks, CB Louisiana Tech: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior outside cornerback from Pflugerville, Texas

Background: Brooks was a three-star recruit from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas in the class of 2019. He was the No. 653 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 593 for On3.com. Brooks was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. Brooks originally committed to Baylor before flipping to Arkansas. He later decommitted from the Razorbacks and enrolled at Stephen F. Austin. Brooks played safety and cornerback in high school, earning All-District and All-Central Texas honors throughout his career. He lettered three times in football and basketball. Brooks transferred from Stephen F. Austin to Louisiana Tech for the 2022 season. He was born on Jan. 12, 2001

2022 Production: 12 games, 29 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 1 defensive touchdown

2021 Production: 12 games, 25 tackles, 4 interceptions, 6 passes defensed

2020 Production: 9 games, 17 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 6 passes defensed

2019 Production: 10 games, 23 tackles, 1 interception, 7 passes defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 First-Team All-WAC, 2022 Second-Team All-Conference USA

Pros: Consistent quality ball production, rises to contest for the football, crowds and batters wide receivers at the catch point, ball tracking, read’s the quarterback’s eyes, experience playing hard and soft-shoe press coverage, strong use of leverage, patiently allows wide receiver to declare route before engaging, some ability to mirror receivers, hips are fluid, flips hips to get in phase and eliminate outside releases, squeezes routes along the sideline, quick to trigger on short passes when in zone or off-man, sticky at the top of the stem, knows when to undercut short routes for PBUs, excels at staying attached to and disrupting slant routes, hand-fighting at the line stymied routes of Clemson (2022) receivers, more willing to help against wide receiver screens than in the run game

Cons: Five penalties committed in 2022, hand fighting downfield will draw penalties, arms and wingspan are smaller than ideal, lacks recovery speed, will struggle to stick with burners, not twitchy or sudden, foot speed isn’t always ideal, lacks experience playing safety or nickel, motor runs hot and cold in the run game, missed tackles are a theme, dives low for tackles instead of wrapping up and driving through the ball carrier, not quick to trigger downhill against the run, avoids contact in the run game unless it’s necessary, struggles to stack and shed blocks, at times gets lost in zone coverage, occasionally caught off guard by switch releases

Overview: At the Shrine Bowl, Brooks stood 6005, weighed 201 lbs., and measured in with 30 3/4-inch arms and a 74 5/8-inch wingspan. He primarily lined up on the field side of plays in 2022 but also has experience as a boundary corner. Brooks has little to no experience as a slot defender or safety. He generated consistent ball production throughout the course of his career thanks to his ball tracking skills and willingness to contest receivers at the catch point. Brooks reads the quarterback’s eyes in coverage and is quick to react to throws. He has experience playing hard and soft-shoe press coverage as well as zone. Brooks frequently patiently allows the wide receiver to release from the line and declare his intention before engaging. He’s shown some ability to mirror receivers thanks to his understanding of leverage and fluid hips. Brooks squeezes outside releases along the sideline and is quick to trigger on short passes when playing off-man or zone. He quickly gets in phase on outside releases are rarely loses connection with the wide receiver. Brooks is sticky at the top of the stem and excels at disrupting short routes. He knows when to undercut routes for pass breakups and is particularly adept at eliminating slant routes. Brooks’ hand-fighting at the line stymied the routes of Clemson’s (2022) receivers. In a class filled with physical freaks and high-weight-speed prospects at cornerback, Brooks’ build and athletic profile are mundane. His arms and wingspan are smaller than ideal, and he lacks the speed to recover when beaten vertically. The redshirt junior will struggle with speedsters at the next level. He isn’t twitchy or sudden, and his footspeed has room to improve. Brooks committed five penalties in 2022, and his hand fighting downfield could draw more flags in the NFL. In coverage, he occasionally gets lost in zone and is caught off guard by switch releases. Brooks’ motor runs hot and cold in the run game. He frequently misses tackles and often dives low with his shoulder at ball carriers instead of wrapping up and driving through them. Brooks isn’t quick to trigger downhill against the run and avoids contact in the run game unless it’s necessary. He struggles to stack and shed blocks.

Overall, Brooks is a savvy outside cover corner who has the physical traits to help a zone-heavy scheme. He lacks the high-end athleticism to spend too much time in man coverage and can’t be counted on in run defense. However, the coverage skills Brooks flashes make him an attractive Day 3 player.

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

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Mid Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 02-10-23