Every time a participant is chosen within the first spherical of the NFL Draft, they’re usually given considerably excessive expectations. This is sensible, nonetheless, since first-round picks are reserved for the incoming prospects with the best potential to make an impression within the league.
Again in 2012, the Rams, who have been nonetheless positioned in St. Louis on the time, determined to make use of one in all their first-round draft alternatives (14th total) on former LSU defensive sort out Michael Brockers.
Nicely, after 11 years within the league, Brockers has introduced that he has retired from the NFL. The previous Rams and Detriot Lions defensive sort out shared his announcement with a current publish on his private Instagram account.
In his first season with the Rams, Brockers made a right away distinction in the course of the staff’s line of defense. With the assistance of their prime rookie, the Rams have been capable of see their run protection enhance from thirty first within the NFL in 2011 to fifteenth within the league in 2012.
Throughout his first yr with the franchise, Brockers completed with 31 tackles (seven for a loss), 4 sacks, and one pressured fumble in 13 appearances. In 2013, he adopted up his rookie marketing campaign with 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and one pressured fumble.
After his first two years within the league, it appeared like Brockers was on his approach to presumably dwelling as much as the expectations that have been handed to him when he was chosen within the opening spherical of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Brockers by no means ended up turning into one of many league’s superstars, however his profession with the Rams and Lions was nonetheless very respectable.
In seven of his 11 seasons within the NFL, he appeared in at the least 16 video games. From 2017 to 2021, he completed every year with at the least 50 tackles and one sack. He was only a very strong piece of a Rams protection that featured a ton of playmakers throughout his tenure, together with Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Marcus Peters, Robert Quinn and Leonard Floyd.
Brockers final look in an NFL recreation happened throughout Week 11 of the 2022 season when he was on the sphere for 12 defensive snaps as a member of the Lions. Shortly after the 2022 marketing campaign got here to an in depth, Detroit determined to launch the veteran defensive lineman.
A number of months after parting with the Lions, Brockers reportedly had a exercise with the Tennessee Titans, nevertheless it did not lead to him incomes a contract.
So, now, as an alternative of creating any further makes an attempt to increase his profession within the NFL, the 33-year-old has determined to hold up his cleats after a really respectable tenure within the league.
