Getty Newest Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks has some similarities to Bobby Wagner.
The Seattle Seahawks surprised some by selecting Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks with the No. 27 pick of the first round. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy sees a lot of similarities between Brooks and Seahawks’ Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner.
“Seattle just took a guy that reminded me of Bobby Wagner when I watched him. Jordyn Brooks was one of the funnest players we watched this year for the @seniorbowl,” Nagy tweeted.
Nagy spent 18 years as an NFL scout and was part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run. He now runs the Senior Bowl and believes Brooks’ speed will significantly help the Seahawks’ defense next season.
“The Seahawks were built when they were committed to playing young players. This is a significantly faster and more physical defense if the staff finds a way to get Jordyn Brooks and Marquise Blair on the field next year,” Nagy noted on Twitter.
NFL analyst Ross Rucker reported that Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells also compared Brooks to Wagner.
“Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells called Jordyn Brooks the ‘next Bobby Wagner’ which he would know since he coaches Wagner at Utah State. I think Seahawks fans would sign up for that,” Rucker noted on Twitter.
Wagner Reached Out to the Seahawks to Get in Contact With Brooks
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll noted during the team’s first-round press conference that Wagner already reached out to get Brooks’ contact info to welcome him to Seattle. The team is hoping that he can contribute right away as part of a linebacker group that includes Wagner and K.J. Wright.
Brooks does not specifically fill the Seahawks’ void for a pass rusher, but Carroll indicated that the linebacker could come off the edge in certain situations. Brooks paired with Bruce Irvin in certain packages give the Seahawks a lot of speed to throw at opposing offenses.
“We just found a guy that could check all of the boxes,” Carroll noted, per Seahawks.com. “We love his attitude, like John said, it’s just his mentality. He’s just really on it. His versatility—his first couple of years he played outside and in space. This past year, they changed schemes and he was really in a position where he was a lot of the time responsible for the quarterback and would chase the quarterback and spy him. He was up in the line of scrimmage and pressuring so we’ve seen him do a variety of things that give him the scope of ability to play inside or outside for us.”
The Seahawks Have 2 Picks in the 2nd Round
Brooks has a long way to go before he can be mentioned in the same sentence as Wagner, but it is encouraging for Seahawks fans that several football minds see the upside in the newest Seahawks linebacker. The Seahawks have the No. 59 and No. 64 picks in the second round, and it will be worth watching to see if the team addresses the defensive line with either pick. Seattle general manager John Schneider noted that the team had Brooks’ 40-time as 4.46 seconds showing just how fast the newest Seahawks linebacker is on the field.