NFL Draft Profile: Jalen Brooks, Wide Receiver, South Carolina Gamecocks

NFL Draft profile scouting report for South Carolina WR Jalen Brooks

Jalen Brooks
South Carolina Gamecocks

#3
Pos: WR
Ht: 6010
Wt: 201
Hand: 0948
Arm: 3418
Wing: 8028
40: 4.69
DOB:5/7/2000
Hometown: Harrisburg, NC
High School: Hickory Ridge
Eligibility: 2023

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One-Liners

A well put together wideout, Brooks doesn’t have any standout traits but his floor also isn’t very high.

Evaluation:

Lining up primarily as the X in South Carolina’s offense, Brooks is a strong wideout. He is able to work through press coverage and not be disruptive against physicality. Brooks also doesn’t shy away from contact. He is a willing blocker and with his frame, Brooks could be an effective blocker at the next level. On film, Brooks didn’t show much of a route tree. Granted, he wasn't asked to run many routes but when he was, Brooks struggled. He would take too long to get in and out of his breaks and Brooks didn’t take precise angles. Brooks’ best way to get open was on shallow crosses. When he catches the ball, Brooks isn’t natural turning upfield to gain yards after the catch. As a vertical threat, Brooks has below average speed, so cornerbacks didn’t have to worry about him winning deep. He struggles to stack defenders vertically and lacks a feel for how to attack leverages. For an experienced player, Brooks is still raw in his understanding of them. Overall, Brooks has good hands and an NFL frame but there is a lot of work that needs to be done for him to be an effective NFL receiver. He has a limited route tree and isn’t natural with the ball in his hands. He is definitely worthy of a training camp invitation with what he has shown on film, though.

Grade:

UDFA

Background:

Jalen Brooks had 44 receptions, 771 yards, and 9 touchdowns during his senior year at Hickory Ridge High School. Electing to attend Wingate University, Brooks totaled 17 catches, 297 yards, 4 touchdowns, while also sprinting and jumping for the track and field team. In 2019, he had 35 receptions, 787 yards, and 6 touchdowns, earning Brooks first team All-South Atlantic Conference honors. Brooks spent the spring semester of 2020 at Tarleton State before transferring to the University of South Carolina. After only being eligible for the final 6 games of his junior season, Brooks caught 11 passes for 100 yards with the Gamecocks. 2022 was Brooks’s best year, in which he accrued 33 receptions, 504 yards, and 1 touchdown. Brooks spent time away from the Gamecocks in 2021 for “personal reasons” but worked himself back into having a productive fifth collegiate season.