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Did Penn State linebacker Ellis Brooks make a mistake?: BWI Daily

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•12/21/21•

ThomasFrankCarr

Ellis Brooks feature
Ellis Brooks was an above average run defender in 2021. Will that be enough to get him drafted? (Steve Manuel BWI)

News broke on Monday that Penn State football will play the Outback Bowl without both of their starting box linebackers. That’s because fifth-year player Ellis Brooks announced his decision to forego his extra year of eligibility and skip the bowl game to focus on the NFL.

Did he make the right decision? With mixed opinions as to what Brooks should have done, film analyst and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, went to the film to find out.

Brooks Scouting Report

He starts with the caveat that he’s a fan of how Brooks plays football and has a soft spot for players with underrated skills. He also sets the expectations of what you’ll hear throughout the episode regarding the projection of Brooks’ draft stock. At the end of the episode, he promises to provide a range of rounds for the Penn State linebacker.

With that in mind, he shares his scouting notes on Brooks that he took while looking at his game. He notes that Brooks isn’t the athlete the consensus is painting him out to be. Additionally, T-Frank points to non-obvious skills that Brooks exhibits that can help him win in the NFL. T-Frank also explains why the former Penn State linebacker is so good at playing the run despite not having dominant physical traits.

Those same underrated traits make Brooks a good coverage linebacker. While he doesn’t exhibit elite speed or burst, there are things that the Virginia native does that make up for those deficiencies. T-Frank provides specific examples from games in 2021 to illustrate his point about Brook’s run defense and coverage ability.

Penn State LB vs The Data

After that, he dives into PFF data to check his work. Some numbers surprised T-Frank, and he shares them with you. He also explains the disconnect between his evaluation and what the production says of Brooks as a coverage defender. The former Penn State Nittany Lion was excellent against the run, and T-Frank backs that up with solid numbers.

Finally, he tells you whether or not Brooks made the right decision opting out of the bowl game. He provides context to the decision based on his evaluation and the reality of the situation. In the end, injury risk is undoubtedly a part of the equation, but it’s not the main reason to opt out.

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