Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel can be improved, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Dylan Brooks, WDE
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
School: Handley (Alabama)
Home Town: Roanoke, AL
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 18 overall, No. 1 WDE
247Sports: No. 26 overall, No. 2 WDE
Rivals: 5.9 rating, No. 53 overall, No. 3 WDE
Notable Offers: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida
What we like:
When I look at Dylan Brooks’ film, I see an athletic edge rusher who could easily replace Darrell Taylor at Tennessee. He has great explosiveness off the snap and can bend well off the corner. His long arms and quickness really help him cover a ton of ground in a hurry, and he can get into the backfield in a flash. He’s capable of playing with his hand in the dirt or standing up, much like how the Vols utilized Taylor the last couple years. He’s not just a pure pass rusher, though; Brooks does a good job of moving around in the flat and is strong against the run, too.
Tennessee has been selling Brooks on using him like Darrell Taylor, and seeing Taylor get drafted in the second round on Friday certainly had to be a factor for Brooks. He has tremendous upside, and he has the type of tools to be a successful defender in the SEC.
Places to improve:
Aside from the obvious of saying that Brooks needs to add more weight to his large frame, the other area I’d say he should work on is his tackling. He can make some violent tackles, but I’d like to see him wrap up more consistently and work on his form. He’s a little raw in areas, but his athleticism and pure ability help him get by with a lot of things in high school. That won’t be the case in college, but he doesn’t have a ton of glaring flaws, either. He’s a consensus top-55 prospect for a reason.
Analysis:
Unless Tyler Baron or Morven Joseph really burst onto the scene as freshmen in 2020 and make strides prior to the 2021 season, I don’t see how Brooks doesn’t see the field quite a bit as a true freshman. He’ll need coaching up on his technique and tackling, and he has to add some weight and strength in a college weight program. But his ceiling is extremely high, and he has the potential to be a superb defender.
For Vol fans wanting to know what would’ve happened with Darrell Taylor if he’d had Jeremy Pruitt and his staff for his entire UT career, you may get to see what that’d look like with Brooks.
