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MTK · 04-27-2008, 03:24 PM

Analysis

Positives: Not ripped, but has good muscular structure for a punter, with big hands, developed thighs and calves, but also has short-than-ideal arms...Does a very good job of turning over his punts, as he has the leg strength to boom towering punts for hang time and distance...Became much more effective angling his punts toward the sidelines as a senior, having placed 68 of his 144 attempts inside the 20-yard line in his two years at Tech...Will generally average about 4.5-4.88 seconds in hang time on his kicks, resulting in the opposition calling for 30 fair catches the last two seasons, including 21 in 2007... Hard worker in the weight room (one-of-the-guys type who does not have a typical kicker's mentality) and has been a fine example and leader for the team's younger players...Has the timed speed to get down field and support the coverage unit (seems to shy away from contact, though)...Is always very well prepared for his upcoming opponent, putting in the extra hours in the film room studying the punt returner's tendencies...Makes good mental adjustments on the field and thrives in pressure situations, doing a good job of blocking out any distractions on the field...Has the leg strength to explode into the ball on contact, as his punts accelerate at a very fast pace, getting good rise to prevent blocks...Fields the ball cleanly and has the large, soft hands, along with timing and leaping ability to adjust to poor snaps...Has the ability to launch very long kicks on a steady basis (57 for 50 yards or more the last two years, an NCAA record)...Has a very respectable catch-to-kick timing of 1.25-1.28 seconds, showing no wasted motion in his follow-through, getting the ball of quickly...The ball comes off his foot sharply, demonstrating excellent follow-through and extension to get a very good rise on his kicks...Very effective at getting the ball right down the middle of the field and showed marked improvement with his angles on pooch punts as a senior compared to 2006 (sideline placement is starting to become his specialty)...Is rarely affected by poor weather conditions and knows how to kick into the wind for distance...Poised under pressure and will not let a bad kick affect his performance...Also contributes as a holder for field goals and placements.

Negatives: Has a very powerful leg with the ability to angle his punts towards the boundaries, but needs to improve his accuracy and placement, as he has had a good share of his attempts result in touchbacks (20 of 144 kicks)...Generally will use a two-step approach, but based on field position, he will sometimes lengthen it by a half step, making his kicking time look a bit deliberate (also affects his hang time, as he will average 4.8 seconds with his hang time on a two-step approach, but it drops to an average of 4.0 seconds or lower when taking extra steps)...At times, he gets caught up in kicking for long distances, kicking the ball away rather than trying to position it towards the sidelines... Has good athletic skills, adequate strength and timed speed, yet did not register any tackles in his role as the safety valve on the coverage units...Seems a bit reluctant to get involved in contact as a tackler, preferring to let others handle that job...Has handled just punting duties throughout his college career and can't be considered even an emergency fill-in as a place-kicker or kickoff specialist.

Compares To: MIKE SCIFRES-San Diego...Scifres is much bigger than Brooks, but both have the same philosophy in their punting approach - boom the ball high and long, giving the coverage team an excellent chance to set up and prevent the long return. Both have a very good ability for placing their kicks inside the 20-yard line. Outside of Scifres, no one in the NFL can match Brooks' hang time (just needs to be more consistent). Look for Brooks to be the first punter taken in the draft. It's fitting that he won the Ray Guy Award in 2007, as Guy has been a family friend and mentor.

Injury Report

2002: Suffered a left clavicle fracture as a senior in high school, missing two December football games and seven basketball contests.

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04-27-2008, 03:24 PM	#2
MTK \m/ Join Date: Feb 2004 Age: 52 Posts: 99,846	Re: Durant Brooks profile Analysis Positives: Not ripped, but has good muscular structure for a punter, with big hands, developed thighs and calves, but also has short-than-ideal arms...Does a very good job of turning over his punts, as he has the leg strength to boom towering punts for hang time and distance...Became much more effective angling his punts toward the sidelines as a senior, having placed 68 of his 144 attempts inside the 20-yard line in his two years at Tech...Will generally average about 4.5-4.88 seconds in hang time on his kicks, resulting in the opposition calling for 30 fair catches the last two seasons, including 21 in 2007... Hard worker in the weight room (one-of-the-guys type who does not have a typical kicker's mentality) and has been a fine example and leader for the team's younger players...Has the timed speed to get down field and support the coverage unit (seems to shy away from contact, though)...Is always very well prepared for his upcoming opponent, putting in the extra hours in the film room studying the punt returner's tendencies...Makes good mental adjustments on the field and thrives in pressure situations, doing a good job of blocking out any distractions on the field...Has the leg strength to explode into the ball on contact, as his punts accelerate at a very fast pace, getting good rise to prevent blocks...Fields the ball cleanly and has the large, soft hands, along with timing and leaping ability to adjust to poor snaps...Has the ability to launch very long kicks on a steady basis (57 for 50 yards or more the last two years, an NCAA record)...Has a very respectable catch-to-kick timing of 1.25-1.28 seconds, showing no wasted motion in his follow-through, getting the ball of quickly...The ball comes off his foot sharply, demonstrating excellent follow-through and extension to get a very good rise on his kicks...Very effective at getting the ball right down the middle of the field and showed marked improvement with his angles on pooch punts as a senior compared to 2006 (sideline placement is starting to become his specialty)...Is rarely affected by poor weather conditions and knows how to kick into the wind for distance...Poised under pressure and will not let a bad kick affect his performance...Also contributes as a holder for field goals and placements. Negatives: Has a very powerful leg with the ability to angle his punts towards the boundaries, but needs to improve his accuracy and placement, as he has had a good share of his attempts result in touchbacks (20 of 144 kicks)...Generally will use a two-step approach, but based on field position, he will sometimes lengthen it by a half step, making his kicking time look a bit deliberate (also affects his hang time, as he will average 4.8 seconds with his hang time on a two-step approach, but it drops to an average of 4.0 seconds or lower when taking extra steps)...At times, he gets caught up in kicking for long distances, kicking the ball away rather than trying to position it towards the sidelines... Has good athletic skills, adequate strength and timed speed, yet did not register any tackles in his role as the safety valve on the coverage units...Seems a bit reluctant to get involved in contact as a tackler, preferring to let others handle that job...Has handled just punting duties throughout his college career and can't be considered even an emergency fill-in as a place-kicker or kickoff specialist. Compares To: MIKE SCIFRES-San Diego...Scifres is much bigger than Brooks, but both have the same philosophy in their punting approach - boom the ball high and long, giving the coverage team an excellent chance to set up and prevent the long return. Both have a very good ability for placing their kicks inside the 20-yard line. Outside of Scifres, no one in the NFL can match Brooks' hang time (just needs to be more consistent). Look for Brooks to be the first punter taken in the draft. It's fitting that he won the Ray Guy Award in 2007, as Guy has been a family friend and mentor. Injury Report 2002: Suffered a left clavicle fracture as a senior in high school, missing two December football games and seven basketball contests. Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange. __________________ Support The Warpath! \| Warpath Shop