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When the Seattle Seahawks took Texas Tech’s linebacker Jordyn Brooks at 27th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, it was one of the bigger surprises of the first round. Many, including myself, did not expect to hear Brooks’ name called until the end of Round 2 at the earliest. So for the Seahawks, who already having Pro Bowl linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright as their incumbent starters, and also after they drafted linebackers Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven just a season ago, this pick seemed to come out of nowhere.

While this may be the case, Brooks is a very talented player at his position. He has incredible speed and he possesses good hands and instincts to pursue the ball carrier while defending the run. The one concern that many have with Brooks, however, is his ability in pass coverage. Based on my film study, and as you can see in the video, these concerns are way overblown. Since Brooks changed positions for his final season to Mike linebacker from outside linebacker to help the team in run defense and to help pressure the quarterback, his role in pass coverage was different. This difference, unfortunately, did not put him in the best position to succeed as he was much better as a pass coverage linebacker the previous year.

This video is almost 12 minutes long, so sit back and enjoy the show!