July 9, 2026, 4:45 p.m. CT
The Green Bay Packers looked to have found a hidden gem in Karl Brooks when they drafted him in the sixth round back in 2023, as he enjoyed a productive rookie season. More recently though, his spark has somewhat fizzled.
As a rookie out of Bowling Green, Brooks put up 30 pressures and four sacks per PFF in 309 pass rush snaps, proving to be very useful as a rotational defensive tackle, specifically against the pass.
His numbers were almost identical in year two with 28 pressures and four sacks in 298 pass rush snaps, making him slightly more productive on a per-snap basis in 2024.
Brooks also became more of a factor in the run game, playing more snaps and improving across the board in terms of the statistics, including ranking in the 79th percentile in average depth of tackle.
The hope will have been that he could scale up his snap-to-snap production in both phases when handed a larger role, which he took on when Kenny Clark was traded to Dallas. That projection did not turn into reality.
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Indicated by his percentile ranks at the defensive tackle position in 2024 and 2025 respectively, Brooks played significantly more snaps last season, but his performance suffered for it.
He has been a below average run defender since entering the league, and that continued in 2025, while his impact as a pass rusher was also dampened. Brooks played 122 more pass rush snaps than in 2024, but only managed one additional pressure, and three fewer sacks (one).
The plan entering last season was not for Brooks to be a starter, as Clark and Devonte Wyatt were ahead of him on the depth chart.
Due to Clark’s exit and Wyatt’s season-ending injury on Thanksgiving, Brooks ended up filling the responsibility as Green Bay’s lead dog on the defensive interior in the back half of the season.
As it turned out, he was not cut out for that role. In his first 10 games of the season, all alongside Wyatt, Brooks had an average PFF grade of 58.2, playing an average of 41 snaps per game. In five games without Wyatt, his grade dropped to 45.2 on an average of 50 snaps per game.
Brooks picked up an injury himself the week before Thanksgiving and missed the matchup with Detroit. While he was not on the injury report for the rest of the year, it may still have been affecting him.
Perhaps it should not be a surprise Brooks did not excel as an every-down player though. He entered the league weighing under 300 pounds and having played most of his college snaps as a defensive end.
The former sixth rounder was never supposed to be a load-bearer for the Packers. He was best used as a rotational, pass rushing defensive tackle as a rookie, and the data suggests he would be better off returning to that role in 2026.
Green Bay will be hoping for a healthier season from Wyatt, and that combined with the signing of Javon Hargrave and the drafting of Chris McClellan could mean Brooks is able to take on a lighter snap count this season. If that happens, a return to his best form could be coming.