After months of debating who the first running back off the board would be in the 2024 NFL Draft, Texas RB Jonathon Brooks became the only back selected in the first two rounds by the Carolina Panthers.
Given the ideal draft capital for Brooks, what is his dynasty fantasy football outlook as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last November?
Should You Draft Jonathon Brooks in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
Brooks’ collegiate journey as a member of the Texas Longhorns was a very interesting ride. He played behind both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson for the first two years of his college career and didn’t even secure the starting job heading into his junior campaign.
Brooks’ exceptional production during his lone year as the leading ball carrier was impressive enough for the Panthers to invest second-round draft capital in a prospect coming off a major knee injury.
The timeline of recovery for Brooks clouds his potential availability for the start of his rookie season and makes it pretty likely he’ll split work with Chuba Hubbard to start his career.
Yet, Hubbard is in the final year of his rookie deal and could very well be off the roster in 2025. This bodes well for Brooks assuming a leading role by Year 2 of his career.
Another encouraging sign for Brooks is exactly how new head coach Dave Canales used Rachaad White as Tampa Bay’s feature back last year as the offensive coordinator.
White saw 336 total touches for 1,539 total yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, which helped him finish as the RB4 overall in fantasy football last year. Canales even stuck with White as the leading ball carrier despite a terrible 3.6 yards per carry, which could provide some encouragement for those who are concerned about Brooks being the bell-cow back in a bad offense.
If you can accept the potential risk of a slow fantasy start and reduced efficiency while he works his way back from a torn ACL, Brooks certainly projects as a quality three-down feature back in Carolina very soon.
Who Is Brooks?
Background
Brooks was a four-star prospect during his prep days at Hallettsville High School in the state of Texas and happened to excel both on the football field and the basketball court.
During his senior year of high school, Brooks rushed for 3,530 yards and 62 touchdowns while adding 284 yards and three scores on 15 receptions. He was named a top-10 finalist for Dave Campbell’s Mr. Texas High School Football Player of the Year.
College Production
In a day and age where players buried on the depth chart quickly enter the transfer portal, Brooks decided to honor his commitment to Texas’ football program by playing behind Robinson for the first two years of his collegiate career.
KEEP READING: Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Brooks’ 389 yards and seven scores from scrimmage on just 53 total touches through his true and redshirt freshman seasons is completely understandable given that he was playing behind one of the best RB prospects to enter the NFL in the last 10 years.
In 2023, Brooks finally came into his own, producing 1,425 total yards and 11 touchdowns in his lone season as the leading ball carrier.
Injury History
In November 2023, Brooks suffered a torn ACL during the team’s win against TCU.
Brooks’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Physical runner for a player listed at 6’0” and 207 pounds; contact balance and play strength are evident when he drops his pad level and muscles through tackle attempts.
- Quick and sudden feet; capable of stringing together multiple jump cuts in tight quarters and accelerating when he identifies an open crease between the tackles.
- Contributions in the passing game are a plus; soft hands and quality body control to casually snag passes away from his frame.
- Has some nice reps on tape displaying patience, pressing the hole to help linemen gain proper leverage before hitting the accelerator to churn out yards through the optimal rushing lane.
- Has the agility, patience, and burst to be an effective zone or gap-scheme producer.
- Fluid hips help with lateral agility and burst to elude defenders in tight quarters.
- Effective timing and strength with his stiff arm.
- Secure ball carrier; only one fumble over his 266 total touches in college.
Weaknesses
- Torn ACL late in the 2023 season clouded Brooks’ value heading into the NFL Draft; some teams may have decided to steer clear because of his medical issues entering the league.
- Arguably was unable to hold up physically in his lone collegiate season as the bell-cow back.
- Open-field elusiveness pales in comparison to his ability to make defenders miss at the first level of the defense.