Name: Ellis Brooks
School: Penn State
Year: rSr
Position: Linebacker
Measurables: 6’1 3/8th 226
Stats:
General Info:
Brooks lettered all four years at Benedictine College Preparatory in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Brooks was a two-time team captain. He also played baseball, basketball, and track & field. Played in the Under Armour All-America Game. Selected All-State as a senior. As a senior, he collected 54 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and five sacks. He also played some running back carrying the ball 51 times for 345 yards and 7 touchdowns. Brooks was a consensus four-star recruit via Rivals, 247, and ESPN. He signed with Penn State out of high school and went on to redshirt his first season in 2017. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he played in 13 games. He made 30 tackles on the year with 1.5 tackles for a loss, half a sack, and one interception. Saw a lot of time on special teams. As a Sophomore in 2019, he played in all 13 games again. This season he made 39 tackles with four tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks. Brooks’s Junior year was his first as a starter. He started 9 games. Ellis led the team in tackles with 60. He added 5.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and two forced fumbles. He saved the best for his final season, starting 11 games and playing in all 12. He was ejected from the Wisconsin game for targeting. Brooks tacked on 100 tackles with three tackles for loss, one sack, and one pass breakup. He opted out of the Outback Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. Signed with Klutch Sports Agency.
Positional Skills:
Strengths
Brooks’ game is all based on his physical style of play, especially when it comes to the run game. He is not afraid to mix it up with offensive linemen. He shows good closing speed when he is in range of a quarterback or a ball carrier. When he attacks the line of scrimmage whether in the run game or as a blitzer he does a good job of getting low. Brooks keeps his legs driving when tackling. He is well built and has excellent mass throughout his body. Brooks shows good lower body power. When he lowers the boom you can hear it, he is a good hitter. Has some blitzing skills. Very active, always moving towards the ball. Brooks shows a good tackling technique on film. He will occasionally miss a tackle but nothing to be worried about. Brooks can get skinny to slip past blockers. He has shown he can cover zone in the flats. Brooks has shown to have a developing swipe maneuver to get past blockers as well. He has shown on film an ability to stack and shed
Weaknesses
He is undersized at 226. Brooks is a bit on the squatty side though, with short arms (30 3/8”) which do show up at times on the field. When he drops into coverage he uses a side-saddle technique which can hurt his transitions and make it harder to find the ball. He does need to work on his pass rush skills and moves. His eyes need to be more disciplined, he will fall for misdirection or double moves. He does have a bad habit of turning his back to the QB in coverage when he is not supposed to. Due to his size and average athleticism, he is not a player I would trust to consistently cover down the field. He needs to get better at stacking and shedding since he is at a disadvantage due to his length. The former Nittany Lion has not made many plays at Penn State, he is more of a steady Eddie.
Fit with the Packers:
Brooks would be a solid fit with the Packers. He is a bit outside of their thresholds, but he played around 240 and could easily pack a few pounds back on. He would be a similar type of player to McDuffie and should go in the same range. McDuffie was a bit faster but Brooks has more bulk/strength and agility. He could play some early downs on defense. He is the type of physical type of linebacker that you like to have on your roster that brings a kind of old-school mentality to the team and the field. There are some limits to his upside due to some of his physical shortcomings, but if he could improve his coverage skills and his eyes he could be a solid #3 linebacker/special teamer.