Steelers Release Sixth-Round Draft Pick Antoine Brooks, Jr.

The Steelers released sixth-round draft pick Antoine Brooks, Jr., the team announced Saturday.

Brooks, who the team took with the 198th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, is the lone draft pick from this April’s haul to not make the team’s initial 53-man roster.

A 5-foot-11, 220-pound safety, Brooks was a three-year starter at Maryland, where he broke out at corner as a sophomore in 2017, before moving to safety.


Brooks started 35 games over his final three seasons in College Park, and he made a total of 231 career tackles, with 87 of them coming as a senior in 2019. He also added 27.5 tackles for loss, six passes defended and one interception.

Brooks ran a 4.64 40-yard dash and performed 18 bench press rep and had a 34.5-inch vertical jump in pre-draft testing.

Brooks is the 27th and final player to be released by the Steelers since the end of training camp on
Friday, joining cornerback Trajan Bandy, defensive ends Henry Mondeaux and Calvin Taylor, defensive tackles Dan McCullers and Cavon Walker, offensive lineman Anthony Coyle, Christian DiLauro, Derwin Gray, Jarron Jones and John Keenoy, outside linebackers Jayrone Elliott and Tuzar Skipper, long snapper Liam McCullough, punter Corliss Waitman, quarterback Paxton Lynch, running backs Trey Edmunds, Wendell Smallwood and Kerrith Whyte, Jr., safety John Battle, tight ends Kyle Markway and Kevin Rader, and wide receivers  Saeed Blacknall, Deon Cain, Amara Darboh, Ryan Switzer and DeAndre Thompkins.