Seahawks 2020 draft: 5 things you may not know about Jordyn Brooks

Any concerns about Brooks and things we don’t know

12th Man Rising: What would be some of your biggest concerns about him on the field in the NFL?

Matthew Connor: With K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner already in place in the middle of the Seahawks defense, I worry that Brooks might be asked to do things on the field that he’s not necessarily suited for.  Namely, I hope he isn’t asked to cover speedy slot receivers or even tight ends one-on-one.  The good news is that the NFL is a nickel and dime coverage league much more than the college game so LBs aren’t put in that position as often.

Still, Brooks will need to work on his pass coverage abilities because NFL teams will scheme into mismatches.  Also, he had a shoulder injury that impacted the last month of his senior year but he played through it until the final game when Tech was already out of bowl contention.  He’s a very violent player who throws his body around like a wrecking ball and I hope that his shoulder is able to fully recover and withstand the punishment of the NFL.

12th Man Rising: What are some of the things, on the field or off the field or both, 12s might not know about Jordyn Brooks but should know?

Matthew Connor: Brooks was one of seven kids growing up and when he was young, his family was homeless for a while.  In fact, he spend four years having to live with friends, relatives, or in a vehicle.  A lot of young people who go through similar circumstances struggle to overcome such adversity but he was able to do so and develop into arguably the best player Texas Tech has seen on the defensive side of the ball in the last two decades (granted, not a high bar).  He’s also taken those experiences from his childhood and used them to ground himself as a person off the field and that’s one of the reasons for his tremendous success both in life and as a football player.

Every college football program has a ton of knuckleheads come through and you often hear about their rough upbringing as a reason for their off-field missteps.  But Brooks was such a fantastic student-athlete that most of us didn’t know about his difficult childhood until well into his senior year when the ESPN broadcast crew gave us this insight during the third game of the season against Arizona.  That’s a sign of just how solid of an individual Brooks is.  Of course, we are biased but everyone in West Texas is confident that Seattle fans will love Jordyn Brooks.