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Oklahoma RB Kennedy Brooks Surprises at NFL Combine

The former Sooners star ran a fast 40 while two of his blockers also had a good day in Indianapolis in preparation for the 2022 NFL Draft.

John E. Hoover

The knock against Kennedy Brooks when he ran the football at Oklahoma was that he didn’t have great speed.

Brooks dispelled that notion Friday night at the NFL Scouting Combine when he ran his 40 in 4.59 seconds.

That’s not elite, but it’s a good time. Brooks told the Norman Transcript he thought he’d run a 4.4, but he was off that pace.

In this year’s class, Brooks’ combine 40 time is tied for 20th among running backs. But historically, plenty of running backs didn’t hit 4.59 at the combine and still became good NFL players.

In 2019, David Montgomery ran 4.62 and Devin Singletary ran 4.66. On 2018, Darrel Williams ran 4.72. In 2017, James Conner ran 4.65 and Kareem Hunt ran 4.62. All have become NFL starters or co-starters.

One running back from the 2017 draft who has become a star — New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara — ran a 4.56. While Brooks measured 5-foot-11, and weighs 209 pounds, Kamara was 5-10 and 214. Kamara was more explosive in his jumps and cone drills, but with three 1,000-yard seasons at OU, Brooks was a more productive player in college.

Brooks’ patient running style is in the mold of a Le'Veon Bell, with an emphasis on vision, anticipation and exploding through a developing hole. His versatility as a runner, a pass catcher and a blocker will land him a job on the next level.

Offensive linemen also worked out Friday night, and the Sooners had two players competing.

Tyrese Robinson ran his 40 in 5.25 seconds, while Marquis Hayes crossed in 5.30.

Robinson, who started at guard for two years before moving to right tackle in his final season and finished with 38 career starts at OU, checked in at 6-3, 317 pounds.

Hayes, who was a three-year starter at guard with 37 career starts, measured 6-5, 318.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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