Apparently the Seahawks Taking Jordyn Brooks With Their First-Round Pick Wasn't as Crazy as We All Thought
By Brady Williams
The Seattle Seahawks shocked plenty of fans and analysts when they drafted Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks at No. 27 overall last week. No one had expected the Red Raider to go so high, let alone before LSU standout Patrick Queen. However, for all of the research mock draft experts do, it doesn't always jibe with what team executives think -- a new report illustrates that several NFL franchises valued Brooks a lot more than outside onlookers did.
One NFL source claims that at least five different teams thought Brooks was the best linebacker in the draft, and that makes the Seahawks look a lot smarter.
To many observers, Jordyn Brooks was another surprise first-round pick by the Seahawks like James Carpenter, Bruce Irvin and Rashaad Penny were in past years. But that doesn't mean it was a surprise to the rest of the NFL. https://t.co/PcVNTK5H28 pic.twitter.com/lpOQ4bcxjI
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) April 29, 2020
The Seahawks had some holes on defense, and they filled one with the guy they thought was the best on the board. Apparently, a number of talent evaluators around the league agreed with them. The Hawks couldn't trade back, so they took the best linebacker they could find. As much as experts on television might have disagreed, more teams need to focus on bolstering the particular system they're trying to build and make value picks with what they have.
That's exactly what they did, and it got them a surprise favorite among NFL scouts.
Seattle defense adds another playmaker
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 24, 2020
The Seahawks draft Texas Tech LB Jordyn Brooks with the No. 27 pick in the #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/tbTVYnmko5
Mock drafts are never 100% right. With Brooks, it seems many of them were wildly wrong, but if the opinions of those five teams are to be believed, the Seahawks had a pretty nice first round.