Late-round gem?

Naturally, most of the focus is placed on the first three rounds, the premium selections, during the NFL mock draft season. As of right now most San Diego Chargers fans are debating on whether general manager A.J. Smith should select a pass-rusher such as USC's Nick Perry or an offensive lineman such as Stanford's Jonathan Martin in the first round. But, as we're all aware, the draft doesn't end after Round 3.

Successful teams, such as the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, don't hit on just their first-, second-, and third-round picks. The gems unearthed from the fourth round on also separate the perennial contenders from the teams that struggle to reach the playoffs consistently.

While reading through the Pro Day reports this week, I took notice of an offensive line prospect who wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. Brandon Brooks, an offensive guard from Miami of Ohio, wowed scouts during drills at his school's Pro Day Thursday morning. Brooks is considered the best prospect who wasn't invited to the Combine.

The big offensive lineman measured 6-foot-5 and weighed 346 pounds. He completed 36 reps on the bench press, a number exceeded by just one offensive lineman at the combine. The same can be said for Brooks' 4.98 40 time, which included a 10-yard split of 1.71 seconds. Only Donald Stephenson ran faster at the combine. His vertical jump of 32 inches and broad jump of 8-feet, 9-inches were also superb. The 4.52 short shuttle time beat all marks from the offensive linemen who ran in Indianapolis.

After sizzling during the testing portion of his workout, Brandon Brooks continued to impress during a 10-minute segment of position drills. According to scouts Brooks moved well around the field, looking fluid and smooth. At one point during bag drills he knocked over a coach from the Pittsburgh Steelers after violently striking the bag with his powerful hand punch.

Brooks is slated for a second workout next Thursday, March 8, where he will solely participate in offensive line drills. The expectations from NFL decision makers at the workout is Brooks will be the first non-combine participant drafted in April.


Brooks was a four-year starter for the Redhawks, playing mostly at guard but occasionally at left tackle. He earned second-team All-MAC honors three seasons in a row (2009-2011) and was named the Redhawks' Freshman of the Year in 2008. He's currently ranked as one of the top 10 guards by NFLDraftScout.com.

San Diego is in desperate need of quality offensive linemen. Brooks appears to possess the athleticism, playing experience, and work ethic to be an appealing option for the Chargers in the later rounds. Hopefully he doesn't get picked too high by another team.