STAFFORD, Texas — Michael Brockers is convinced the Detroit Lions are on the right track. An elder statesman as the oldest player on the roster, the veteran defensive lineman arrived in Detroit a year ago via a trade from the Los Angeles Rams after declining a cut in pay. One year removed from a 3-13-1 finish, Brockers, 31, is proud of the Lions’ progress and optimistic about the future under coach Dan Campbell.
Michael Brockers has confidence in Lions’ future
“I mean, they knew we were coming the whole 60 minutes of the game,” Brockers said during his youth football and cheerleader camp at Dulles High School. “That’s what I love about being there and you see it generating that enthusiasm. To be in Detroit, to play in Detroit, to be aligned, you’re seeing it starting with the younger guys.
“That’s why I’m one of the older guys on the team. We have a team full of younger guys aligning into the system. It’s going to be scary to see us in the future.”
A former first-round draft pick from LSU, Brockers has five consecutive seasons of 50 tackles or more, 29 career sacks, and 447 career tackles, with 52 tackles for loss and 63 quarterback hits. But Brockers provides more than productivity.
He imparts knowledge to a young team that welcomed University of Michigan consensus All-American and Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year Aidan Hutchinson to the squad with the second overall pick in April.
Hutchinson’s pass-rushing skills and relentless style are encouraging to Brockers, who recorded 52 tackles, one sack, and four tackles for losses during his first season in Detroit following the trade in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round draft pick and being signed to a three-year, $24 million contract.
Aidan Hutchinson is ‘on a mission’
“Man, he’s a man that’s on a mission,” Brockers said of Hutchinson. “He does everything that he’s supposed to do. You don’t even have to tell him, and this is him doing a lot of his rookie duties. We didn’t even need to ask him. He just did it. ‘What do you guys need for the room?’
“Okay, this is a man who thinks ahead of time and you can respect a man like that. He has a lot of respect in my book moving forward. We’re talking about food, right now. That’s very important to the game. The D-line room needs water and food and snacks in those meetings.”
Brockers’ approach entering his 11th NFL season
To maintain his lean 6-foot-5, 297-pound physique, Brockers relies on hard work, a sound strategy to maintain his strength and quickness, and moving through a rigorous workout regimen and healthy diet.
“Right, just having that integrity, that constant battle: ‘Do you want to get up in the morning? Do you want to get better today? Why are you doing this if you don’t want to get better?'” Brockers said. “It’s just having that integrity, working when nobody is watching you. I preach that all the time: working when no one is watching you because what’s done in the dark will come to the light.”
A Chavez High School graduate and former all-state selection from Houston, who was a second-team All-SEC selection at LSU before being drafted 14th overall in 2012, Brockers and his wife, Faith, are deeply committed to giving back in the community.
“It’s really me and my wife coming together as partners giving back,” Brockers said. “We give our time to the Boys and Girls Club. We give food and presents at holidays. We give back as much as we can and give back to the Houston community.
“It feels great. These are the things you work hard for. My grandmother always said, ‘You’ve got to reach back to the people behind you. I love it and I want to continue doing it.”