Steelers take another Maryland player, safety Antoine Brooks, in 6th round

Antoine Brooks Jr. nearly quit football five years ago when he was injured during his senior season at DuVal High in Lanham, Md.

On Saturday, his decision to keep playing was rewarded when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected the Maryland safety in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Brooks was the second Maryland prospect to join the Steelers on Saturday. Terps running back Anthony McFarland Jr. was taken two rounds earlier.

Brook sustained a compound ankle fracture and broken wrist while playing quarterback at DuVal. He said he spent the next week in a hospital contemplating whether to continue playing the sport he loved.

“Pretty close,” Brooks said when asked about nearly quitting. “I was thinking every day, every step of the way what would I do.

“The outcome was to keep playing.”

Just at a different position. Smaller schools offered Brooks a chance to play quarterback. Maryland recruited him to play defense, and Brooks gladly accepted.

We know @steelers fans want to know what kind of player they just got in Antoine Brooks (@TwanDoee).

Well, here's his 2019 highlight reel. pic.twitter.com/FxREMKCxk2

— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) April 25, 2020

“I was weighing all the positives to continue playing this sport,” Brooks said. “As much love as I’ve got for the sport, I didn’t want to lose that love because of injuries.”

Brooks began his college career as a linebacker, but he switched to safety before his sophomore season. He developed into a second-team all-Big Ten selection as a junior when he had 68 tackles, including a team-high 9½ for loss. As a senior, he led Maryland with 87 tackles, including 69 solo. He ranked second on the team with 8½ tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with five pass breakups.

“The biggest thing I liked about him was he was around the ball,” said Teryl Austin, the Steelers senior defensive assistant/secondary coach. “He’s very, very physical. When you watch him, he has a very good feel for the game in terms of instincts and making quick decision and not being afraid to make a decision.

“That’s what you’re looking for in a guy back there.”

Brooks will provide depth behind starting safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds. The other backups include Jordan Dangerfield, who plays mostly special teams, and Marcus Allen, who has gotten little playing time in two seasons.

Austin said it’s too early to tell whether Brooks can fill the hybrid linebacker role created with Mark Barron’s release. He also didn’t want to project whether the Steelers might move Edmunds into that spot.

“We’ll get them in our jar, shake ’em up and see where they fit best,” Austin said.

Five years after almost walking away from football, Brooks relishes the chance to play anywhere on defense for the Steelers.

“After that day, I didn’t want to be the person who almost made it or the person who could have made it or couldn’t go because of injuries,” he said. “I didn’t want that to be the outcome. I’m proud of where I am now.”

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