Could LaMiles Brooks Be The Next First-Round Pick For Georgia Tech?

Georgia Tech has not had a first round pick since 2010

Keion White had hoped to be Georgia Tech's first player selected in the first round since 2010, but that did not happen. White went in the second round to the New England Patriots and the streak of Georgia Tech not having a first-round pick continued. 

That could change next season though. 

Georgia Tech safety LaMiles Brooks is one of the most underrated safeties in the country and I think he has a chance to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Georgia Tech's LaMiles Brooks is one of the top safeties in the country / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks finished as the highest-graded player on Georgia Tech last according to PFF (Pro Football Focus) and his coverage grade of 86.8 was good for 21st in the country and fourth in the ACC. He finished as the 23rd highest-graded safety in the country according to PFF last season. 

Brooks finished the season with 52 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions. His best performance came in a loss to Virginia when he finished with nine tackles and a pick-six. Brooks was the best player on the field that night and I expect more performances like that from Brooks in the future.

He possesses the size to be a first-round pick as well at 6'2 192 LBS and is a physical tackler. He is going to be the new leader of the Yellow Jackets' defense with Charlie Thomas, Ace Eley, and Keion White gone. 

The thing that both Yellow Jackets fans and NFL scouts should like is that last year was his first year as a starter. The two guys that were thought to be the starters last season, Jaylon King and Derrik Allen, were replaced for different reasons. King sustained a season-ending injury early in the season and was replaced by Clayton Powell-Lee, which proved to be the correct decision, and Brooks beat out Allen after a battle at the position. Both players responded by putting up solid seasons.

Brooks is an instinctive safety in coverage and his versatility is going to be on display this season. During the spring, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker talked about how Brooks had to play nickel last season and he could do more of that in 2023:

"So K.J. Wallace would probably be listed as the starting nickle positon right now, but LaMiles Brooks in multiple games kicked down to that position so you are talking about having four guys with experience for three spots so we are able to cross-train those guys and use them in that way.

A tangible example would be being at North Carolina this past season, K.J. Wallace goes down and we slide LaMiles Brooks down to that position at nickel. That is the group that has the most maturity right now."

There is a long way to go until the 2024 NFL Draft, but I think Brooks has a chance to be the first Georgia Tech player taken in the first-round in over a decade. 

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