Packers Coach Confirms Surprising Rookie DL Will Make Roster

Getty Packers head coach Matt LaFleur seemed to confirm sixth-round rookie Karl Brooks would be making the 53-man roster.

If there was any doubt that sixth-round rookie Karl Brooks was going to have a role with the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line in 2023, Matt LaFleur just squashed it.

LaFleur seemingly confirmed Brooks would be making the Packers’ 53-man roster when evaluating his strong performance in the second preseason game against the New England Patriots on Saturday night, insisting that Brooks will “have to be a guy that contributes” for the Packers when the regular season kicks off in less than a month.

“I thought he did a lot of good things,” LaFleur told reporters on Sunday, August 20. “Was in the backfield a little bit, had a really nice TFL on one of the outside zone schemes that they ran, where the guard over-reached him and he got vertical and got in the backfield. And he’s been a pretty consistent performer for us thus far, and he’s gonna have to be a guy that contributes for us come the regular season.”

Brooks has been a welcomed surprise for the Packers over the past several weeks of training camp, thriving with the backup members of their defensive line and looking like he could potentially be farther ahead than fellow rookie and fourth-round pick Colby Wooden in terms of bringing immediate impact to the defense. Over the first two preseason games of his career, he has notched four pressures, three quarterback hits, two solo tackles and one tackle for a loss over a combined 65 defensive snaps.

While the Packers are likely going to roll with Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and T.J. Slaton as their three base-defense starters, Brooks could have a chance to lock down the top rotational job on the line with a strong finish to the preseason against Seattle.

Karl Brooks Was a Splash-Play Machine at Bowling Green

Brooks is coming off a monster final two seasons at Bowling Green, during which he built himself a reputation as a splash-play machine and one of the best hybrid defensive linemen in the Mid-American Conference.

The breakout began for Brooks in 2021 after he endured an injury-hampered, COVID-19-shortened season the year before. Bowling Green called up him to serve as one of their team captains, and he played like a defensive leader on his way to career-high marks in sacks (7.5), tackles for loss (12.5) and total tackles (42). He also flashed his versatility playing on both the interior and edges of the Falcons’ defensive line.

Brooks only got better in 2022. Over 13 starts, he recorded 10 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 50 total tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for the Falcons and finished as one of just 14 FBS defenders with at least 10 sacks on the year. He also earned elite-caliber grades from Pro Football Focus both as a pass rusher (92.0) and run defender (90.3) with highly-effective win rates to match in both realms.

The fact that Brooks went against non-Power 5 competition in college did cause some people to doubt him once he declared for the NFL draft, but draft analyst Lance Zierlein cautioned against that thinking in his pre-draft profile of Brooks for NFL.com:

The inclination to shrug off Brooks’ production based on level of competition — or because of questions about his positional fit — might be a mistake. Brooks’ snap quickness, footwork, hand usage and motor are all translatable play qualities. His movement and counters are intuitive, allowing for quick access in the backfield. Against the pass, he frequently beat tackles as a bull rusher off the edge. Brooks has the size of a three-technique but the versatility and athleticism to move around a defensive front. He flashes disruptive, three-down talent as a future starter in a one-gap scheme.

Packers Also Looking Sturdy at Outside Linebacker Spots

The Packers are no doubt pleased that Brooks and Wooden are both showing early promise for their defensive line, but their depth at edge rusher — from top to bottom — might be as exciting as it has ever been during LaFleur’s time as head coach.

The Packers have a pair of high-quality veteran starters in Preston Smith and Rashan Gary (at least once Gary is cleared to return to full-time duty), but Kingsley Enagbare has done everything he can in camp and the preseason to prove that he should be viewed as their next-best edge rusher in the rotation. He dominated the Patriots in Saturday’s preseason game, recording two sacks — including a strip sack where he recovered the ball himself — in just 14 snaps of work against New England’s starters.

The Packers have also gotten strong reps out of both first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and undrafted rookie Brenton Cox Jr., the latter of whom has pushed his name to the top of the list for undrafted talents most likely to make the Packers’ 53-man roster. In the past, Green Bay has been no stranger to letting its rookies sit back and learn during their first seasons (case in point: Gary in 2019), but Van Ness and Cox could each justify small-time rotational roles early on if they firmly grasp their assignments in the scheme.

Of course, the Packers also re-signed veteran Justin Hollins in March after a solid 2022 season for them, so they have no need to rush out their rookies sooner than ready. It’s a good problem to have, one that should make the Packers a better defense in 2023.