49ers might gamble on Brooks
By MATTHEW BARROWS
May 30, 2006
The San Francisco 49ers will consider making a bid for former Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the July 13 supplemental draft, personnel director Scot McCloughan said Tuesday.
Last year at this time, Brooks was being mentioned in the same breath as A.J. Hawk - picked fifth overall in last month's draft - when it came to the nation's top linebackers. But the junior's status soon plummeted because of injuries and questions about his maturity.
After forgoing the draft and returning to Virginia for his senior season, Brooks was dismissed from the team in March for what coach Al Groh cited as "focus, commitment and dependability" problems. In 2003, the linebacker was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession - a charge that later was dismissed - and he further made his way into Groh's doghouse by skipping classes and practices.
Brooks will hold a workout for pro scouts at the Virginia campus June 22 and is preparing for the event at Competitive Edge Sports, an Atlanta-based outfit run by Chip Smith.
Smith admitted Tuesday that when Brooks arrived 11 weeks ago, he was so out of shape he vomited seven times during his first training session. But he has made progress since, Smith said, working out four hours a day, five days a week. And thanks to a better diet, he has dropped 20 pounds.
Smith said Brooks now weighs 268 pounds, five or so more than his playing weight at Virginia. He also has begun to shed the maturity issues that plagued him at Virginia.
"I told him I want him here every day at 9 a.m., not a minute more," Smith said. "He's usually sleeping on my couch when I arrive at 8:15."
McCloughan, who is in the midst of a background check on Brooks, said the baggage Brooks brings with him is a concern. But McCloughan said that would be weighed against the linebacker's potential, which at one point had him projected as a top-10 draft pick.
The son of former Washington Redskins defensive tackle Perry Brooks, Ahmad Brooks led the Cavaliers in tackles his first two seasons, and at 6-foot-4, he has the combination of size and speed NFL scouts covet.
"He can play any of the (linebacker) spots in a 3-4 defense," McCloughan said.
Smith said Brooks has recovered from the injuries that cut short his 2005 season and estimates he will run the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-second range.
"Ahmad is a Pro Bowl-type talent if he can stay focused," Smith said. "I have some NFL linebackers here right now. They stood back and watched him and said, 'Wow. He can really explode.' "
Like the regular draft, the order of the supplemental draft is determined by team records the previous year. If the 49ers were to take Brooks in, say, the third round of the supplemental draft, they would have to give up their third-round pick in the April 2007 draft.
McCloughan said Iowa State linebacker Jason Berryman and Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College linebacker David Dixon were two other names that would draw interest in the supplemental draft. The 49ers have an extra fourth-round pick next season from the Washington Redskins and likely will get compensatory picks after losing Julian Peterson and Andre Carter to free agency.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service,
www.scrippsnews.com.)
