Long shot undrafted rookie just boosted his roster stock on the Washington Commanders after his impressive showing against the Patriots
The Commanders may have found an undrafted gem
The Washington Commanders’ first preseason game ended as a blowout loss to the New England Patriots, but the coaching staff will see one big positive when they turn on the tape.
We needed someone to step up, and one undrafted rookie made the most of his opportunities on Friday. WR Ja’Corey Brooks has been a standout in practice, but we wanted to see how it translated to the field, and that’s exactly what he did.
Hidden gem on offense
The depth in the wide receiver room has looked like one of the weakest links for the Commanders’ offense, but Brooks may have earned a jump in the depth chart after the first preseason game. It’s hard for an undrafted rookie to come into a position room with veterans and steal a roster spot, but Brooks can make it happen if he has another impressive showing in the final two preseason games.
The passing offense struggled all game for the Commanders, but Brooks led the team in catches and yards after bringing in all five of his targets for 59 yards.
Brooks has shown reliable hands all offseason, and he can build a connection with Jayden Daniels to prove he has a spot on this offense. He made some difficult catches in the game, including a diving catch that had to be reviewed but ended up staying a catch. Brooks also showed his ability to get yards after the catch on a bubble screen that went for 12 yards after making a defender miss.
Of course, Brooks was running with the backups on offense and going against the Patriots’ backup defenders, but he still showed his traits that should have gotten him drafted, and he’s been doing the same thing in practice with Daniels throwing him the ball.
He was a five-star recruit at Alabama who got stuck in the depth chart before he transferred to Louisville for his final season in college, and ended up being the top weapon on offense. In his lone season with the Cardinals, he brought in 61 catches for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns.
Brooks isn’t known for his long speed, but he’s still a deep threat with his ability to fight for contested catches, and he had the highest contested catch rate in the entire draft class at 69.6%. The undrafted hopeful also had 20 catches that went for 20 yards or more, which was the third most among Power 4 players behind only Travis Hunter and Matthew Golden, who both went in the first round.
I know we fall in love with an undrafted rookie every season, but Brooks had no reason to go undrafted other than his play speed. He’s still shown how productive he can be without elite speed, and he’s already off to a hot start when it comes to fighting for a roster spot.
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