The Green Bay Packers have a solid linebacker corps, but adding Jordyn Brooks out of Texas Tech could be the move that turns it into an elite squad. Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith are both strong anchors of the defense and are under contract for the next few years. Blake Martinez has also been a key anchor, but he is an unrestricted free agent, and it's unclear if he is going to return to the team next season.
Brooks wasn't talked about a lot as a draft prospect his first couple of years with the Red Raiders, but as a senior, he quickly flew up the draft boards. In 11 games, he racked up 108 tackles with 20 of those coming for a loss. He also had three sacks, two fumbles recovered, and one fumble forced. He didn't have any interceptions as a senior, but during his college career he did have five of them, and that shouldn't be looked at as a weakness.
Brooks has all the makings of a star, and he is going to be a fan favorite wherever he goes because of the way he flies around the field. The Packers love adding players with speed and athleticism.
Thedraftnetwork.com gave the following review of his play.
Super active and twitchy middle linebacker that is the heartbeart of not only the team, but the defense as a whole. Thrives on physicality and patience while reading his keys, he's excellent at triggering downhill to the ball once he's able to diagnose that happenings in the backfield. Took over a much larger role this year after the departure of Dakota Allen and hasn't disappointed.
After underwhelming a bit year, the larger role has forced him to step up and play as a key cog on the Red Raiders. A tackling machine, he's a ball magnet with no dial to turn down his playing speed. Full throttle all of the time and plays the game with no notches. Useful in coverage and because of the conference that he plays in, he has plenty of experience with seeing all different types of route concepts.
The only real knock on Brooks' game is his play if he doesn't have open lanes. If he doesn't have an open lane to a ball carrier he sometimes gets lost, and that is an issue.
The Packers defense is getting faster, and adding Brooks would be a big key. Maybe he is all the team needs to become a top-five defense next year.
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