Jordyn Brooks

If there was a defensive player that embodied "the stats don't the full story," it would be Brooks. He has two seasons of more than 160 tackles on his ledger and has over 100 stops in each of his last three campaigns. The problem is that he doesn't stand out as above average contributor in any area of the game, which doesn't make a compelling case for him to remain on the field. What makes him even more vulnerable is that he departed from Seattle this offseason, the team that spent a first-round pick on him in 2020 and thus had significant incentive to keep him on the field in the hopes that he would develop. Now with the Dolphins, the track record says that Brooks is an elite IDP option in leagues that reward tackling. A little bit of a longer glimpse suggests caution is prudent.

A 2020 first-round pick, Brooks led the league with 184 tackles in his second NFL season, and he was vying for the same title in 2022 before tearing his ACL in Week 17. Head coach Pete Carroll has been optimistic that Brooks will be ready for Week 1, but it's difficult to truly know until we see him on the practice field. Once he's given the green light, Brooks will be expected to lead the Seahawks in tackles once again. The addition of Bobby Wagner doesn't affect Brooks' IDP value. After all, Wagner was on the roster when Brooks claimed the tackling title.

Assisted tackles were way up league-wide and few benefited as much as Brooks (his 75 assists trailed only Foye Oluokun and teammate Bobby Wagner), but sketchy stats or not he was a kingmaker in IDP leagues last year, more than tripling the tackle count from his 2020 rookie year (57 to 184). Brooks is a first-round pick, and the Seahawks are all but compelled to leave him in a three-down role.

A 2020 first-round pick, Brooks averaged just 26.2 defensive snaps per game as a rookie, but he managed to produce 57 tackles and two pass breakups over 14 games. With K.J. Wright seemingly out of the picture, Brooks likely will secure the starting weakside linebacker role in 2021. Bobby Wagner is a tackling machine in Seattle, but Wright posted at least 100 tackles in five of the last seven seasons. With Brooks already producing a high tackle count once, he's a sneaky IDP option to replicate Wright's production, given the latter doesn't re-sign.

The Seahawks are accustomed to surprising analysts with their first-round selections, and the pick of Brooks in April applies. However, he could be the most successful in recent memory, featuring impressive athleticism, including a 4.54 40-yard dash. Brooks was remarkable at Texas Tech as well, racking up 108 tackles - 20 for a loss - and three sacks in 2019. The rookie will have to battle Cody Barton for the starting outside linebacker gig, but it's Brooks' job to lose right out of the gate.