Edgerrin Cooper NFL Draft Overview
Height: 6’3 (Unofficial)
Weight: 230 lbs (Unofficial)
Age: 22 years old
School: Texas A&M Aggies
Super athletic, can cover, and is aggressive. Those are the three traits you want in the modern NFL linebacker. You must have the speed to run sideline to sideline—the athleticism and quickness to cover TES, RBs, and sometimes even slot WRS. Plus, he still has to play with reckless abandon and be physically in the run game. These traits describe Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Cooper was a four-star number 115 overall recruit out of Covington, Louisiana, and committed to Texas A&M University. Throughout his career, the All-SEC talent was a productive impact Player. However, in Cooper’s Senior year, he finally put it all together and had an insane season. He amassed 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and eight sacks and earned first-team all-American honors. I was amazed by Cooper’s film, but did he earn first-round grades? Let’s dig into the film.
2024 NFL Draft: Edgerrin Cooper Scouting Report
Cooper’s Strengths
- Elite speed to all areas of the field. He has the speed to cover TE’s and RB’s, sideline to sideline, and easily gets to zone responsibilities.
- Elite football IQ quickly diagnoses plays and attacks the ball with a strike-force mentality. Reads his keys and explodes in the backfield to make the tackle in the backfield or blow the play up.
- He has good hands and fluid hips to cover down the field.
- He was a great blitzer, using his explosiveness and athleticism to beat inferior offensive linemen. He can be used in multiple formations due to his rare ability to rush and cover.
- He uses his Long arm speed and quickness to evade offensive linemen, making them whiff and miss blocks.
- Very, very physical football player. He’s not the biggest Linebacker, but he does not show it. He has no regard for his body to make plays. He loves it.
- He has an excellent frame to add weight and muscle.
Cooper’s Weakness
- He has elite speed but needs to do better jobs, not pursuing ball carriers. NFL offenses are mainly about putting their best athletes in space and need to break down to make the tackles.
- As with most modern linebackers coming out of college, he struggles to get off blocks when offensive linemen latch on. This is due to his slender, small frame being only 230 pounds.
- He needs to play with a better pad level. Sometimes, he gets too high when approached by offensive linemen, exposing his chest and shoulder pads.
- He needs to add muscle and weight to his wiry frame to hold up for a 17+ game season.
Projection: Late First to Early Second Round Pick
NFL Comparison: Ryan Shazier
Best Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
