After stellar rookie season, Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks focused on adding interceptions to his game
Jun 16, 2021, 1:09 AM
(Getty)
Jordyn Brooks lived up to his billing as the Seahawks’ first-round draft pick in 2020.
O’Neil: When it comes to star CB Stephon Gilmore, Seahawks should pass
Despite being a rookie, Brooks established himself as one of Seattle’s best defensive players as the season wore on, especially after healing up from an early knee sprain that kept him out of action in Week 4 and Week 5.
Brooks finished the year with 57 combined tackles, two tackles for loss and two passes defensed in 14 games, and if you throw in an eight-tackle performance in the Seahawks’ one playoff game, he had five or more tackles seven times last season.
After such a stellar rookie campaign, what’s next for the 23-year-old Texas Tech product? He joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Wyman and Bob on Tuesday, the first day of the Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp, and he revealed there’s something he wants to add to his game. The one thing he didn’t have in 2020 was an interception, and he made it clear he wants that to quickly become a strength of his.
“I tell myself and I tell people around me that I envision myself getting interceptions and taking it 100 yards,” Brooks said. “And so my whole focus this year during the offseason was just breaking on routes, reading the QB’s intentions, trying to do the extra stuff to try to get those interceptions.”
A closer look at Brooks: Promising plays vs. Arizona | Flattens Kittle
The Seahawks probably wouldn’t mind a few extra picks coming from their weakside (WILL) linebacker in 2021, especially since they were in the middle of the pack in interceptions last season, tying for 12th among NFL teams with 14.
Brooks had plenty more to talk about during the interview, including how much comfortable he feels going into his second year as a pro and what his offseason workout plan looked like. You can listen to the full segment in the podcast at this link or in the player below beginning around the 24-minute mark.
Follow Brent Stecker on Twitter.
Rost: Hurdle for Seahawks, Jamal Adams is NFL’s pay structure