3 Packers players skyrocketing ahead of final preseason game

2. Karl Brooks, defensive line

What are you hoping for from a typical sixth-round draft pick as a rookie?

Well, for starters, you're probably hoping they can just make the roster. You might be hoping they can contribute on special teams. In an ideal world, maybe these guys contribute on special teams for a couple of years and develop into starters by year three somewhere, or maybe significant role players.

It's not uncommon for sixth-round picks to just get cut after the preseason league-wide.

It's very uncommon to land players who look as NFL-ready as Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks.

Here's what NFL.com Draft analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Brooks in the pre-draft process:

"The inclination to shrug off Brooks' production based on level of competition -- or because of questions about his positional fit -- might be a mistake. Brooks' snap quickness, footwork, hand usage and motor are all translatable play qualities. His movement and counters are intuitive, allowing for quick access into the backfield. Against the pass, he frequently beat tackles as a bull rusher off the edge. Brooks has the size of a three-technique but the versatility and athleticism to move around a defensive front. He flashes disruptive, three-down talent as a future starter in a one-gap scheme."

- Lance Zierlein

You're already seeing Brooks's ability to disrupt from multiple positions on the defensive front. I think the Packers obviously have a gem on their hands here.

This is a young defensive lineman with a ton of experience at the collegiate level who knows how to win one-on-one situations with violent hand usage and better quickness than his athleticism would indicate. It looks likely we're going to be seeing plenty of him early on in the regular season. He could be one of the top Day 3 steals in this year's NFL Draft.