Antoine Brooks Jr. Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 5’-11”
Weight: 220 pounds
School: Maryland
NFL Combine Performance Data
40-Yard Dash: 4.64 seconds
Bench Press: 18 reps
Vertical Jump: 34.5”
Antoine Brooks Jr. 2020 NFL Draft Profile
After four seasons with Maryland, safety Antoine Brooks Jr. is looking to take his talents to the NFL level. During his senior season, the 5’-11” safety recorded 80 tackles and 16 assists on 854 snaps. Additionally, he added one interception, five pass deflections, and one fumble recovery during his final year with the Terrapins.
Brooks initially joined the collegiate ranks as a two-star recruit. After suffering a compound fracture in high school, teams were unwilling to commit to the Maryland native. Eventually, his hometown school made an offer, and the rest is history. After playing sparingly as a true freshman, Brooks earned a starting spot in 2017. Appearing in 761 defensive snaps, Brooks finished his sophomore season with 60 tackles and 17 assists. One year later, the Maryland native recorded 58 tackles and 10 assists on 728 snaps.
Strengths
- Strong, physical player that should be a difference-maker in the run game;
- Effective blitzer with a knack for beating blocks and getting to the quarterback;
- Could be a box safety or pseudo linebacker;
- Over 100 snaps each at free safety, box safety, and slot cornerback in 2019;
- Instinctive player that attacks the ball carrier without a second thought;
- Tackling issues from 2018 disappeared in 2019.
Weaknesses
- Run defender first and foremost – struggles in coverage;
- Lacks the speed required to take away the deep part of the field;
- Struggles to stick with his guy in man coverage, especially downfield;
- Slow in his backpedal with stiff hips;
- Aggressive, physical style of play sometimes leads to losing his responsibility in the defense.
NFL Comparison: T.J. Ward
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Washington Redskins
Projection: 4th/5th round
Bottom Line on Antoine Brooks Jr.
Antoine Brooks Jr. is a scheme-specific player that would have thrived in a different era of football. The 5’-11”, 220-pound safety is a throwback to 1980’s football, as he’s an absolute beast against the run. Brooks has the positional versatility to play box safety and pseudo-linebacker at the NFL level and isn’t overwhelmed by larger offensive lineman. His ability to diagnose blocking schemes allows him to get to the ball carrier and be a pretty effective blitzer when chasing the quarterback. He trusts his instincts and doesn’t hesitate after he makes his read. Tackling was something of an issue in 2018, but Brooks managed to solidify that part of his game in 2019.
Unfortunately, most of what Brooks is good at isn’t too important in today’s NFL. Today’s NFL is all about stopping the passing game, and Brooks simply doesn’t do enough to impact the pass game. His 4.64 speed shows up on tape, as he doesn’t have the range to cover the deep part of the field. He struggles in man coverage and has a bad habit of losing his men over the top. Ultimately, Antoine Brooks can succeed in a specific role, but he’ll never be a true starting-caliber player.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
