Steelers Hosting Versatile Defensive Lineman on Pre-Draft Visit

The Steelers will host Bowling Green defensive lineman Karl Brooks for a pre-draft visit on Thursday, according to numerous reports.

Brooks is one of the key NFL Combine snubs that stuck out. However, at Bowling Green’s pro day, Brooks measured in at 6-foot-4, 303 pounds. However, his testing day didn’t go as planned, running a 5.09 40-yard dash, and jumping 26.5 inches. In addition, his abilities registered in at a 5-flat short shuttle and 7.63 3-cone.

A few weeks ago, Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar traveled to Bowling Green pro day to work Brooks through his drills live. As such, this pattern of interest can not be ignored, especially since Denzel Martin got hands-on work with Brooks at the Senior Bowl. A standout there, Brooks seems like the type of MAC player that the Steelers have drafted over the years that become a solid contributor, though the numbers will have to be overcome for some teams.

This continues a trend of Pittsburgh having an interest in defensive linemen throughout the draft cycle. As such, expect Pittsburgh to draft at least one, if not two, defensive linemen during the process. Brooks could be a sneaky mid-round pick that they want to land.

In the past, the team has hosted Siaki Ika, Gervon Dexter, and Keeanu Benton on pre-draft visits. They have also shown plenty of interest in Bryan Bresee and Lukas Van Ness. Still, where they go with the defensive line remains anyone’s best guess, especially after the signing of Armon Watts.

Brooks has an odd body type but he is versatile. His pass-rush moves are all there, and Brooks could be the perfect 5-technique that the Steelers could fall in love with in the mid-rounds. If there is one place they could use someone, that might just be it, as Chris Wormley is recovering from a torn ACL and still a free agent.