Dolphins looking at CB Brooks

Louisiana Tech standout could help the secondary

AVENTURA — A look at cornerback draft prospect rankings reveals a slew of players from Power Five conferences at the top.

It makes sense. They are most consistently going against the top wide receivers in college football, many of which also figure to go high in the draft.

But among all those big-school names in the late April draft, there is Louisiana Tech cornerback Myles Brooks, who has put himself in the mix after one year successful season at the Group of Five school following three with Stephen F. Austin of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

The Miami Dolphins could be interested in a cornerback in the draft if they don’t address the position in free agency in March. The Dolphins have Pro Bowler Xavien Howard looking to stay healthy and return to form, might move on from veteran Byron Jones after he missed the 2022 season, can build upon undrafted rookie Kader Kohou’s breakout season, and have Nik Needham entering free agency after his season was cut short due to a torn Achilles.

Brooks has been training in South Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems for the NFL scouting combine, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 6 in Indianapolis.

Brooks had three interceptions and eight pass deflections in 2022 and put together impressive film with Louisiana Tech. He said teams wanted to know if the tape was truly representative of the player he is, and he got a chance to showcase it at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier in the draft process with what he called a great three days of practice.

At the Shrine Bowl, Brooks said he had “a good conversation” with the Dolphins. He also found it interesting that they sent him a questionnaire to fill out and send back.

“Not all teams send questionnaires and things,” Brooks said this past week at trainer Pete Bommarito’s Aventura facility, “so when the Dolphins sent me, it kind of showed me that they have a little more interest than a lot of other teams.”

CBS ranks Brooks as the draft’s 16th-best cornerback and No. 108 overall. NFL Draft Buzz says he’s No. 24 at the position.

Brooks himself is hopeful to go between the third and fifth round. In the 2023 draft, Miami has a secondround pick, two selections in the third, a sixth and a seventh. The team previously had two first-round picks, but one was lost due to a tampering penalty and the other, from the San Francisco 49ers, was shipped to the Denver Broncos for edge rusher Bradley Chubb.

“I just want [teams] to know that I’m an all-around corner,” Brooks said. “I can control the line of scrimmage. I’m a press corner, and that’s really my game. But I can do everything. I can play off. I can play zone. I can do it all.”

The press at the line of scrimmage is what he did about 70 percent of the time at Louisiana Tech. At a long 6 foot 2, Brooks did it well, crowding receivers at the line of scrimmage.

“I like that most receivers don’t like that,” he said. “Most receivers, if they can’t get off the press, they’re not usually long nights [for me].”

His press-man prominence would’ve especially fit well in previous defensive coordinator Josh Boyer’s defensive scheme. Dolphins corners may find themselves playing a greater mix of zone coverages in new coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.

Brooks knows where he needs to develop as he transitions to the NFL.

“I want to get better at off-man,” he said. “That’s the thing that I didn’t really do. That’s the thing that I’m still trying to develop, just because, in the league, they do a lot of off-man. And, in the league, they have a lot of receivers that can get off the press. Press is not as easy as it is in college.”

He also wants to show that he has the necessary long speed to keep up with the NFL’s fastest wideouts. Maximizing his 40-yard dash time is one of the reasons the Texas native chose to train in South Florida with Bommarito.

“Coming in, the question was ‘Do I have long speed?’ “Brooks said. “I kind of feel like that’s going to be proven at the combine.”

Between time at Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin, Brooks feels he stepped up when his teams got their opportunities against Power Five opponents, exhibiting he can play up to top competition.

“I proved that I can play with anybody,” he said. “I came in, first year, haven’t played in that conference, I went first team and, shoot, I dominated the big teams we played — Clemson and Missouri.

“I feel like I showed that it don’t matter where you come from. Football is football at the end of the day. … If you’re a dog, you’re a dog.”