The Indianapolis Colts doubled down on the defensive line during their Day 3 picks, selecting Cincinnati defensive tackle Curtis Brooks with the No. 216 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
If it’s any surprise, Brooks is a strong athlete who could probably work at the three-technique or on the edge as the big end.
How this pick helps the Colts
The Colts are looking to create a lot of competition on the interior defensive line. Brooks may be a bit of a tweener when it comes to his natural position and even though he’s a late sixth-round pick, there appears to be a lot of upside here.
Checking out this thread from Joe Goodberry puts this selection a bit into perspective.
Scouting report
Here is the scouting report on Brooks from Dane Brugler’s draft guide:
“Curtis Brooks was a standout basketball and football player at George Washington High in Danville, posting 82 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks as a senior. A two-star recruit, he received mostly FCS attention until Cincinnati got involved. He was a rotational player over his first five years for the Bearcats, but he returned for a sixth season and emerged as an NFL prospect, leading one of the nation’s top defenses in tackles for loss and sacks. Lining up as both the nose and three-technique in Luke Fickell’s hybrid front, Brooks has first-step burst and physical hands for quick penetration, although he must become more efficient with his counters. He can be moved by run blockers when his pads rise, especially by double teams, but his lateral quickness allows him to leverage gaps. Overall, Brooks has only one season of full-time starting production and needs to develop his consistency in the run game, but his active rush skills have the attention of NFL teams.”
How he will be used
It will be interesting to see how the Colts decide to use him. He could simply just rotate all over the…