Finding Broncos: Karl Brooks | IDL | Bowling Green

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a small school and versatile defensive lineman.

Measurements

• Height: 6-foot-3
• Weight: 303 pounds
• Arms: 32-1/4 inches
• Hands: 9 inches

Stats

Pros

• Uses his hands extremely well with good technique. 
• Showed up well at the Senior Bowl. 
• Uses leverage well with power to create a great bull rush with good consistency. 
• Production matches the tape. 
• His pass rush arsenal is extremely diverse, with plenty of counters and a spin move in there. 
• Moves like a smaller edge.
• Short area burst is there to close quickly on the ball. 
• Has an excellent slap-and-slide move that is probably his best weapon. 
• A high motor that never stalls or fades.
• Attacks with a good pass-rush plan. 
• He has shown he can set up moves and blocks.
• He attacks with his body in unison. 

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Cons

• Lacking ideal length. 
• Doesn't bring consistent force into contact. 
• Stacking and shedding blocks need a lot of work. 
• Can deal with getting a little stronger to stay square with the line at the point of attack. 
• His get-off and first step aren't great. 
• His skill set doesn't match his build, which shouldn't be an issue for most defenses. 
• Can be a concern against the run.
• Needs more force in his hands. 
• Pad level tends to rise up through his pass rush as well as opening his chest. 
• Might be a versatile pass-rush specialist early in his career. 

Overview

When watching Brooks, he plays like a 250-pound edge defender, but he is much bigger than that. Despite the size, he is quite smooth and fluid, which can give interior offensive linemen issues. There is plenty of versatility to move Brooks around and exploit favorable matchups for the defense, and even stand him up as an edge. 

Wherever he ends up, will want to limit his exposure against the running game early on, making him a pass-rush specialist. However, with how NFL defenses are going with their front, Brooks fits right in and can help create some creative looks with the right defensive coordinator. 

Fit with Broncos

The Denver Broncos are in a solid place with their defense, but they can use some additional depth on the defensive line, especially when it comes to getting after the quarterback. If they lose Dre'Mont Jones, then Karl Brooks makes even more sense to try and replace that lost pass-rush ability. 

With Vance Joseph coming back to Denver, Brooks is a piece that he could use in different ways to help disguise things upfront. Joseph is aggressive, as he was in the top 5 in blitz percentage each year as the Arizona Cardinals' defense. Brooks would give them a pretty reliable pass rusher inside to create more options with other pass rushers and would be blitzers. 

Grade: Top 75

Projecting Draft Slot: Late Round 2-Early Round 3

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