Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma RB

Games Watched: Baylor (2019) x2, Iowa State (2019), TCU (2019)

Pros:

  • Good play speed overall
  • Decent burst and acceleration
  • Does a fairly good job changing directions
  • Great body control to evade tacklers, very elusive
  • Great vision to see holes open up and decision making to hit those holes
  • Patient running back who will wait for holes to open
  • Shows flashes of pressing the line to manipulate defenders
  • Tremendous focus as a receiver
  • Phenomenal blocker from the running back position
  • Has willingness to block, great technique, and good strength and quickness

Cons:

  • Looked extremely indecisive and sluggish in the first Baylor game, what’s the concern?
  • Contact balance is not amazing
  • Does not frequently push ahead for extra yards
  • Not bad but overall not incredibly athletic
  • Needs more reps as a receiver

Summary: Kennedy Brooks is a guy who I do believe has 3 down potential but he’s average athletically and that could prevent him from being incredibly effective. He’s smart and very good as a receiver and blocker but with slightly above average play speed and slightly below average strength it remains to be seen if he can be a true lead back for a team.

Hopeful Improvements: Right now I wouldn’t be comfortable with Brooks as my RB1 unless it was a backfield by committee and I don’t think there’s a lot Brooks could do to change that. If he somehow really improves his contact balance through training I can see myself moving him up a lot but that’s unrealistic to expect out of him and at this point I just want to see similar production with more work as a receiver.

Grade: I have Kennedy Brooks as a Round 4 guy. He can be a very good running back to have in a committee but alone as an RB1 I don’t know how effective he’ll be.