Jonathon Brooks RB Texas: Scouting Report

Height: 6’0

Weight: 202

Overall

Jonathon Brooks is a one-cut running back in Texas’ balanced offense. In his 3 collegiate seasons he played in 22 games with 8 starts. This past year he tore his ACL in his right knee against TCU in mid-November. This injury will cause him to miss the entire off-season and likely limit his role to begin his NFL career. It is also unclear if this injury will affect his play in the future. Outside of his injury he is a well-rounded runner who was a consistent force on Texas’ offense this past season.

Run Game

Brooks has excellent vision and patience in the backfield. Once he gets the ball he does a good job of following his blocks and finding the open running lanes. He has good burst through the line of scrimmage to get to the 2nd level but lacks the explosiveness to create home-run hitting plays. He has sufficient speed to get to the outside and make big plays but he is often caught from behind and is forced to use his elusiveness to evade defenders rather than straight-line speed. When in space he has the lower body balance to make cuts to juke out defenders while still keeping a lot of his momentum up the field. Along with his shiftiness he is a physical downhill runner. He consistently drives his feet after contact and often dragged defenders while in a pile on film. He has good contact balance to bounce off tackles above the waist but he struggles breaking free when defenders get around his legs. With his patience and lack of explosiveness he struggles making plays out of nothing when defenders get hands on him early. He will drive his legs and fall forward for a minimal gain on broken plays but lacks the playmaking ability to be successful when plays break down.

Pass Game

Brooks has experience both as a receiver and pass protector. As a receiver he ran a very minimal route tree while at Texas and was mostly used as an outlet option or on screens. He has very good hands and made multiple tough hands catches on swing routes to the outside on film. After the catch he gets up the field quickly and again uses his vision to find the open space. As a pass protector, he often used his shoulder to make blocks rather than setting his feet and squaring up with the defender. This lack of pass-blocking technique will need to be developed before he can be a reliable option against the rush.

Last Word

Brooks projects best in a zone-heavy rushing scheme where he can use his excellent vision and patience to follow his blocks, read the play, and get up the field in a hurry. While he lacks the explosiveness to be a home-run hitting back he is a consistent runner who will grind out yardage with the occasional chunk play when he gets a seam. His hands will make him a reliable weapon on 3rd downs but he needs to improve his technique in protecting the quarterback. His lack of long speed will make it difficult for him to carve out a consistent role on special teams, but he can be an emergency kickoff returner if needed.

One-Liner: Jonathon Brooks is a very patient running back who can excel behind a strong offensive line but his lack of explosiveness along with his recent injury is cause for concern at the next level.

Grade: 6.5 (Lower End Starter, 1st and 2nd Down)

Games Watched: 2023 - Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State, Kansas

Team Fits: Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers