27 Days, 27 Picks: LB Derrick Brooks
In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.
Our next player, like our last one, is a man who needs no introduction — he’s probably Tampa Bay’s greatest NFL export.
Here’s the draft rundown on Derrick Brooks:
College Accolades
(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Derrick Brooks played college football at Florida State. He made the All-ACC first team from 1992-94, was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1993, was a consensus first-team All-American from 1993-94 and was a Vince Lombardi Award finalist in 1993 and 1994.
Pre-Draft Measurements
Getty Images
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split |
6 ft 0 1/4 in | 229 lbs | 32 1/2 in | 10 3/4 in | 4.71s | 1.70s | 2.72s |
Pick Selected
Getty Images
Derrick Brooks was selected with the No. 28 pick in the 1995 NFL draft.
Player selected before him: TE Mark Bruener, Pittsburgh Steelers
Player selected after him: OT Blake Brockermeyer, Carolina Panthers
NFL Stats
(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Derrick Brooks played 14 seasons in the NFL, all for the Bucs. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro, an 11-time Pro Bowler, made the 2000s All-Decade Team, was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Year | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Scks | FF | PD | INT | TD |
1995 | 16 | 59 | 19 | 78 | 1.0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
1996 | 16 | 91 | 41 | 132 | 0.0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
1997 | 16 | 101 | 43 | 144 | 1.5 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
1998 | 16 | 121 | 35 | 156 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
1999 | 16 | 117 | 36 | 153 | 2.0 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 0 |
2000 | 16 | 117 | 23 | 140 | 1.0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
2001 | 16 | 79 | 33 | 112 | 0.0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
2002 | 16 | 87 | 30 | 117 | 1.0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 3 |
2003 | 16 | 71 | 30 | 101 | 1.0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
2004 | 16 | 109 | 28 | 137 | 3.0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
2005 | 16 | 93 | 32 | 125 | 3.0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
2006 | 16 | 96 | 25 | 121 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
2007 | 16 | 84 | 25 | 109 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2008 | 16 | 56 | 15 | 73 | 0.0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 224 | 1,283 | 415 | 1,698 | 13.5 | 24 | 112 | 25 | 6 |
Player Footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af83jMTSuGw
Pick Analysis
(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Analysis? There is no analysis.
If Derrick Brooks had been an entirely average linebacker and started all 16 games of his staggering 14 year career, this pick would have been worth it. And he did do that, but he was far, far from average.
Brooks is perhaps the greatest 4-3 linebacker and, perhaps, the greatest off-ball linebacker to ever play the game of football. He was an incredible producer until the very end of his career and fans will always remember him for his Super Bowl-winning interception off Rich Gannon.
He was simply everywhere in the passing game, the running game and any other play you can imagine. He was a nightmare to any player who had the misfortune of playing him and a blessing to Tampa Bay fans who had suffered so long before his arrival.
Who’s our favorite player? Mr. Derrick Brooks.
