Lions draft prospect profile and scouting report for Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville

[ASFN Admin]

Ja'Corey Brooks was one of the more intriguing in-season finds in the 2024 college campaign. After a largely nondescript three seasons at Alabama, Brooks wasn't really on the scouting radar. The lanky wideout quickly put himself on the NFL Draft map with a series of impressive performances, clicking nicely with fellow transfer, QB Tyler Shough.

Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville​

Brooks entered Alabama from IMG Academy as a 5-star recruit but it never clicked for him under Nick Saban. He played on the same WR crew as Detroit's Jameson Williams and faced off against CB Terrion Arnold and DB Brian Branch in practices, too.

• Measured at 6-foot-2 and 184 pounds
• Netted 61 catches for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns in his one season at Louisville
• Missed time in 2023 (at Alabama) with a shoulder injury
• 23 years old

Games watched: Notre Dame, Virginia, SMU, Boston College, Clemson, Kentucky

Positives​

• Longer than he appears at 6-2 and 184 pounds
• Fast feet off the line, but doesn't waste steps or energy on getting into routes (aka the TikTok routes)
• Changes speeds and strides well to create separation
• Very adept at finding the holes in the zone and not drifting out of them
• For a skinnier guy, Brooks is quite effective on contested catch opportunities
• Flashes hard on comeback routes
• Really good at selling defensive pass interference calls--led the country in drawing DPI (9 in 12 games)
• Blocked two punts on special-teams duty while at Alabama

Negatives​

• Doesn't have great acceleration off the line
• Couldn't get on the field consistently at Alabama and didn't produce a lot there
• Frequently goes down on first contact after the catch
• Has some concentration drops, notably when he's wide open; career drop rate over 10 percent
• Effort on blocking is better than his effectiveness; lacks physical strength to be more than a dancing bear

Overall​

Brooks never lived up to the recruiting hype, but his one season at Louisville with a more accurate passer in Tyler Shough brought the competitive Brooks much closer than he ever got at Alabama. The drops are tough to look past, as is the underwhelming blocking results (the effort is there!). Brooks projects as an early Day 3 prospect who could quite capably fill the Kalif Raymond role in Detroit in 2026 and beyond, with the ability to make a dent on special teams and 4-WR packages as a rookie. His ceiling is higher than that.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions draft prospect profile: Ja'Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville

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