Jonathon Brooks 2024 NFL Scouting Report
Jonathon Brooks 2024 Scouting Report
Jonathon Brooks | RB | Texas | Sophomore | 6’0, 207 lbs
Background
After playing behind standouts Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson for two years, Jonathon Brooks finally got the chance to prove himself this year. He absolutely delivered. In 11 games, Brooks rushed for 1139 yards and 10 touchdowns on an efficient 6.1 yards per carry. Unfortunately, Brooks’ season was cut short after tearing his ACL. That didn’t stop him from declaring for the draft. And it won’t stop him from becoming one of the top running backs selected in the draft.
Scouting Report
Watching Brooks, the trait that stood out the most is how dangerous he is in open space. He has exceptional contact balance, being able to survive tackle attempts and remain upright. He compliments this with solid elusiveness. He’s more than capable of making defenders miss with juke moves. He’s also a very physical runner, constantly falling forward and working for every yard he gets. Whether it’s running through you or making you miss, there’s a high chance Brooks will make a defender miss one on one.
His athletic traits are less impressive. Although his burst isn’t bad, he doesn’t have that home run speed that’ll give defenders a scare. It doesn’t help that it takes him a while before he reaches full speed. Additionally, his change of direction isn’t good either. If he’s stopping, changing directions or making a juke move, his speed takes a distinguishable hit.
In the backfield, Brooks does a tremendous job keeping his pads low and squared, not letting the defenders predict where he’s going. His patience is exceptional as he often waits for his blocks to develop and reads them well. However, there are times where he gets too patient. At times, he plays too slow and spends too much time in the backfield. That ties with his main concern; his hesitancy.
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Oftentimes, he makes too many jump cuts, bouncing back and forth and not wanting to commit to a hole to run through. He needs to be more efficient at finding holes and running through with zero dithering. As for his vision, it’s adequate, but he takes a bit longer than expected to find the open space his offensive line carves for him. He’ll find them eventually, but the NFL is a fast game, he needs to find them as soon as they open up.
On passing downs, Brooks didn’t get too many reps as the team opted to put CJ Baxter in for these situations. In the limited playing time Brooks did get, he looked effective as a blocker. His physicality as a runner translates to blocking. He does a sufficent job picking free rushers up. In the receiving game, Brooks didn’t produce much in this aspect. He ran a finite route tree in the Longhorn offense, being limited to mainly short routes for checkdowns.
Best Landing Spot: Arizona Cardinals
With his patience, Brooks is at his best running behind pulling offensive lineman on angle blocking schemes. The Cardinals do this a lot. They are also in desperate need of depth at running back. James Conner has been amazing but is aging and injury prone. In the 4 wins the Cardinals have this season, they average 179 rushing yards. In their losses, they average 120 rushing yards. The run game is clearly a huge part of their offense and it’s something they must address. Brooks would likely become the immediate RB2 and provide a huge boost to the running back room.
Dynasty Outlook
Brooks is one of the most talented backs in the draft. He has traits that will translate to the next level and make his fantasy upside intriguing. However, that torn ACL is a killer. He won’t be able to participate in any pre-draft events and his mini and training camp availability is up in the air. Those reps are crucial for rookies. Nevertheless, the talent is undeniable. I value him as a late first-early second round pick.
RANKINGS | DYNASTY |
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