ANALYSIS
Positives … Has good size for his position and a frame that can carry additional weight … Plays with good initial quickness … More of a wall-off, finesse type despite his weight room strength, but shows the ability to slide and mirror the defender in pass protection … Shows good speed getting to the edge and while inconsistent with his hands, when he does get them to lock on to an opponent, his long arms allow him to gain separation … Plays with good awareness, picking up twists and games quickly … Works to stay in front of a defender as a run blocker … Has enough acceleration to chip up to the next level and neutralize the linebacker … Adequate on pulls and traps … Offers value and versatility with his ability to play both guard and tackle … Has a smooth running stride when getting out front on sweeps … Has the burst to come off the snap and accelerate up field to the second level … Has the lower body strength to firmly plant and maintain position at the point of attack … Shows a quick retreat in his pass set … Has the lateral agility needed to redirect … Tough player who will play hurt … Takes well to hard coaching … Runs with a normal stride and has the ability to adjust and change direction … Flashes explosion off the ball and that initial quickness allows him to gain an advantage.
Negatives … Tall athlete who has been a hard worker in the weight room, but sometimes, that production fails to translate to the football field, as his frame needs to add more bulk, he has a soft midsection, big legs, marginal overall muscle definition and slow feet … Drives hard and gets decent hand placement in the short area, but falls off too many of his blocks when on the move … Has very good potential, but needs to have a patient coach redo his technique … For a player his size, you would expect him to be much stronger at the point of attack, but he's more of a finesse type … Did a good job of locating targets in the second level in 2003, but he appeared too heavy-footed in 2004, resulting in Brooks getting knocked and dragged down as he failed to get good hand placement on the move … Shows a strong base in pass protection, but lacks pop behind his blocks … Will get pushed around a bit by the bigger defensive tackles and falls off blocks too easily … Needs to do a better job of generating a hand punch, as he relies too much in leaning into the defender in attempts to sustain … Lets the defender get into his body too much and bends at the waist, rather than his knees in his pass set … Needs to slide his feet better, as he struggles to mirror vs. the quicker rushers … Has the size and that superb initial quickness, but needs to add more strength and his technique sorely needs an overhaul, as he stands too erect in his stance, fails to bend his knees properly, leaves his feet too often and fails to sustain his blocks for too long … Loses his balance when trying to make reach blocks, as he will lunge and over-extend, failing to keep his feet in front of him on the move … His impressive weight room figures are negated, as he does not deliver a strong hand punch, despite his upper body strength.
