The Texas A&M program has recruited many four and five-star defenders over the past few years, but many have departed. Edgerrin Cooper, a linebacker, has been a steady presence and emerged as a star in 2023. He vaulted up draft boards with a stellar season and could be the first linebacker off the board in April.
Profile
- College: Texas A&M
- Height: 6’2”
- Weight: 230 lbs.
- Age: 22 (November 17, 2021)
- Year: Senior
- Arm: 34”
- Hands: 9.75”
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.51
- 10-Yard Split: 1.54
- Vertical Jump: 34.5”
- Broad Jump: 9’10”
- Draft Projection: Late First or Second Round
College Career
Cooper attended Covington High School in Louisiana and earned a four-star recruitment rating after an 85-tackle senior season. He had offers from Oklahoma, Florida State, and Oklahoma State, amongst others, but decided to join the Aggies in the class of 2020.
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Def | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | Fumb | Fumb | Fumb | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | 12 | 37 | 21 | 58 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 11 | 33 | 28 | 61 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| *2023 | 12 | 39 | 45 | 84 | 17.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Career | 111 | 94 | 205 | 30.5 | 8.5 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Cooper only started one game as a redshirt freshman, then eight as a sophomore. He finished fourth on the team in tackles and appeared in eleven games. In 2023, he started all 12 games and was a team leader on defense.
The accolades followed Cooper after he led the SEC with 17 tackles for loss and was fifth in the SEC with eight sacks. His 84 tackles led the team en route to being voted the Defensive MVP by his team. He received first-team All-American nods from Walter Camp, AP, The Athletic, and ESPN, amongst others.
Edgerrin Cooper is a LB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.34 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 175 out of 2649 LB from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/cVkIxyWWSP pic.twitter.com/cKMNmjb9sw
Cooper decided to enter the draft and then attended the NFL Combine last weekend. His performance there solidified his draft status, and now, he’s on to the NFL.
Strengths
Three-Down Skillset
Cooper is a linebacker who won’t have to leave the field. He’ll give your run support and has the athleticism to cover. He erases screen passes with instincts and speed.
Here's some Edgerrin Cooper propaganda for your TL…
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) February 28, 2024
All 7 of his run stops against Bama.
(he also had 3 sacks in this game…) pic.twitter.com/jWoch69z51
The video above features seven of his run stops against Alabama. It showcases his range, instincts, and tackling.
NFL Draft Prospect Watch 👀
— Jared Tokarz (@JaredNFLDraft) January 16, 2024
Texas A&M LB
Edgerrin Cooper @EdgerrinCooper1
6-3, 230lb, 4.52
A long Athletic, Gritty, instinctive OLB that excels in coverage.
PFF highest graded LB in ‘23 (90.8)
Highlights below show why he’s OLB1
pic.twitter.com/8YHhKGmOiB
In this clip on Twitter, Cooper demonstrates multiple ways in which he excels in coverage. He has the speed to erase any advantages a back may have had and covers ground quickly. Cooper has the instinct to read a play as it’s happening, and then the quick twitch reaction kicks in.
Coming in at No. 7 in the 12th Man's top dozen: Edgerrin Cooper.
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) July 8, 2023
Cooper has the speed/change of direction skills to be highly effective as a blitzer, QB spy and while in coverage with running backs.
The Aggies cannot afford to lose him this fall. https://t.co/NIuGL0aBxB pic.twitter.com/yNt2t8iDX4
Just for good measure, here’s a few more coverage clips.
Athleticism
Cooper’s elite athleticism and agility allow him to make plays many linebackers can’t. He closes quickly with explosiveness and relentless pursuit. Cooper looks flexible and displays a bend, and in short spaces, he moves like a much smaller, quicker player.
Edgerrin Cooper LB #45 coverage snaps bs Jahmyr Gibbs pic.twitter.com/kGuOly3BXr
— Connor (@KingDaboll) January 30, 2024
Watching him try to cover an elite running back like Jahmyr Gibbs is fun. He recovers quickly when off-balance or out of position, regaining his balance and quickly getting back in plays. Cooper hangs with fast running backs and tight ends.
Blitzing
The blitzing aspect of his game emerged in 2023, and it’s all about timing, followed by his elite explosion.
Edgerrin Cooper:
— Cody Johnson (@FB_LoneStar) January 22, 2024
One of the top LB’s in the class, Cooper is one of the few guys i feel DeMeco can develop into a true all around Mike LB. A LB that can play the run, defend the pass, and blitz. Profiles similarly to Warner coming out of college, but will need time to develop! pic.twitter.com/uJBuv3BlV1
I don’t know how Jalen Milroe didn’t snap in half on this play. At my age, I would have likely just died on the spot.
Perfectly timed blitz from Edgerrin Cooper here
— Tim Verghese (@TimVerghese) September 19, 2022
Splits the center and guard and hardly loses a step to come up with the big TFLpic.twitter.com/pfKGsJTm0E
Here, Cooper splits the line perfectly to time it precisely and wrangle in another TFL. I could watch linebackers make that play all day.
Areas of Concern
Inside Work
Cooper struggles to diagnose plays inside; when he attacks, he can get lost in the blocking. He attacks offensive linemen high, losing leverage, which takes him out of the play. He doesn’t shed blocks and sort through the traffic very well.
Cooper also tends to lose the ball when tracking; misdirections occasionally catch him off guard. We see players with his aggression do this at times. He does recover well, but usually, it’s too late to make the play.
Awareness
That ties into his awareness. As I mentioned above, Cooper is better with man-to-man coverage. Zone coverage is not his strength; he doesn’t flow with the play and gets caught watching the quarterback, vacating his zone.
Draft Profile
Initially, I had Cooper as more of a MIKE linebacker, but the more I watched and broke him down, the more I think he profiles more as a WILL. He’s going to be better not having to focus on the run and be the defensive captain. If a team wanted to use him as the MIKE, Cooper has potential with some development. He wouldn’t be a liability.
The Eagles are interested in him and would be a great fit in Philly. Division mate Dallas could also be in the market for a linebacker, and Cooper would fit well there. Pittsburgh would also love a linebacker who models his game after Fred Warner.
Cooper is the first linebacker to target in your IDP drafts and even in the first 5-6 IDP rookies off the board. If you need a linebacker, I could even justify him going in the top few. Cooper has a high floor with tackles, and seeing the blitzing last season is enticing. Add 7-8 sacks to 125+ tackles, and you have an LB1.
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