Kennedy Brooks NFL Draft Profile
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Kennedy Brooks Scouting ReportBrooks has good burst to and through the hole. A patient runner with good vision and burst for the cutback. Squares his shoulders and can knock the defender back onto his heels. Good leg drive and forward lean to gain extra yardage after contact. Has sneaky speed but won't always get to the corner. Runs low through the hole with size and strength to move the chains as an interior runner. Has a strong stiff-arm and spin move to slip defenders. Best in goal-line situations finds another level of determination. Good recognition as a runner and pass blocker. Natural receiver with versatility as a route-runner. He is a quick, smooth athlete with the footwork to make sharp cuts and redirect his momentum in a flash. Shows good vision and patience with natural running instincts. Kennedy doesn't possess elite breakaway speed, but is fast enough to gain yardage in chunks when he finds a seam. He is difficult to bring down one-on-one in space, regularly sidesteps would-be tacklers and uses offhand to use oncoming defenders' momentum against them without slowing down significantly. Solid receiver in the flat, capable of running through tackles on the edge to move the chains. Flexible enough to catch passes thrown behind him. He demonstrated the ability to track the ball over his shoulder. Good flexibility and balance to adjust to the poorly thrown pass. Good vision and patience for screens. Has the feet and feel running between the tackles and in the open field. He has very good vision and patience to pick through defenses. |
Areas for ImprovementKennedy is a one-speed runner and lacks any explosive qualities with tight hips. Has poor balance and has the bad habit of losing coordination when changing directions, his feet and upper body look to be on two different pages. He offers little in pass protection and poor technique cut blocking, fails to do more than slow down blitzers by laying down in front of them. |
Kennedy Brooks Career at OklahomaA four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and Scout and a three-star prospect by 247Sports . As a true freshman, Redshirted. Following year, a USA Today Freshman All-American and a Pro Football Focus Second-Team All-American also an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention choice by league’s coaches. He ranked third nationally with 8.9 yards per rush (minimum 9.0 carries per game) and ranked fifth in Big 12 with 88.0 rushing yards per game. He played in 12 games (did not see field against Iowa State or Army). As a redshirted sophomore, a second-team All-Big 12 honoree by league's coaches and media. He played in 13 contests and started each of the last 10 in which he appeared (missed the game at Kansas [10/5] due to injury) and rushed for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns on 155 carries. He ranked ninth nationally and first in Big 12 by averaging 6.5 yards per carry and recorded four 100-yard rushing games In 2020, he opted out due to Covid. |
Kennedy Brooks NFL Draft Player ProfileWhile Kennedy Brooks has many injury concerns, his play on the field is so tantalizing that he warrants interest from NFL teams. He’s well built - a thick upper body with a wide frame and solid stiff arm aids in a bruising running style. Oklahoma utilized a multiple-run scheme, though Brooks is best as a one-cut RB in a Zone scheme, displaying the ability to get from East-West to North-South with ease. Brooks has a unique running style, one that is much like Derrick Henry, another bulky RB who runs with a high center of gravity. Like Henry, Brooks is best when he can keep his feet moving and momentum going forward, while taking subtle, quick, rounded cuts rather than wide pronounced jump cuts. Instead of hopping around patiently at the LOS - stopping his momentum and forcing him to accelerate quickly - Brooks is going one pace the entire time, and just looking to get downhill. While he takes a bit longer to accelerate than one would like, once he hits the open field past 10-15 yards, Brooks has good top speed to separate downfield from DBs for big gains. In addition, Brooks is an effective runner behind pulling actions - a staple for the Sooners - due to discipline while following his blockers and attacking the designed hole. Brooks also played in 2-RB sets on occasion where he was asked to make lead and split blocks. He was good at ID’ing the appropriate defender to block and positioning himself well to make contact consistently. Lastly, while in pass protection, Brooks shows quick mental processing to locate blitzers and does a good job to square up to his target and absorb a blow. |
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