Thursday, June 22, 2006

31 TEAMS ATTEND BROOKS WORKOUT

31 TEAMS ATTEND BROOKS WORKOUT
PFT Update*
POSTED 5:38 p.m. EDT, June 22, 2006


A league source has given us the lowdown on the Pro Day workout of former Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Per the source, every team was represented at the session, with the sole exception of the Chicago Bears.

But despite the presence of 31 teams, only one head coach attended -- Mike Nolan of the 49ers. G.M. Randy Mueller was present on behalf of the Miami Dolphins, which is one of the teams presumed to be most interested in Brooks.

Brooks weighed in at 260 pounds, a number that many scouts considered to be ideal for him. But to get down to 260, Brooks gave up some strength. As a result, he managed only 19 reps in the 225-pound bench press exercise.

In the 40-yard dash, Brooks posted times of 4.68 and 4.72 seconds.
In the three-cone drill and the short shuttle, Brooks' form was regarded as poor. Despite a supposed ten weeks of training for the workout, we're told that he had to be shown how to run the run the three-cone test.
All things considered, the thinking is that Brooks helped himself in advance of the upcoming Supplemental Draft, and there's a belief that someone will select him in round two. Indeed, we continue to hear glowing accounts from scouts and other league insiders regarding Brooks' performance in 2004 with the Cavs.

Still, there are rumors swirling that his former coaching staff at Virginia hasn't gone out of its way to pimp him at the next level. In this regard, the fact that Brooks was kicked off of the Virginia team by coach Al Groh likely speaks volumes; absent a strong pitch from Groh or his staff, turd-averse teams are likely to pass.

But all it takes is one team to pull the trigger. And in the chess match that is the Supplemental Draft all it takes are two teams with an interest in the player to get him taken a round or two earlier than he'd be selected if lumped in with the full draft pool.