GBP • LB • #56
Cooper (6’2/230) arrived in College Station as a four-star recruit during the tumultuous 2020 pandemic campaign and took a redshirt before assuming a more prominent role the following year. His redshirt freshman year started slowly with Cooper recording just six stops and seven missed tackles through the first five games. He flipped the switch down the stretch though, posting 22 stops and just two missed tackles in his last seven contests to garner SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. He slid into a starting role in 2022 and was productive enough to accrue 61 tackles, 8.0 RFL and five PBU for a decent 66th% PFF defensive grade. However, that was just a warm-up act for his terrific 2023 with Cooper accumulating 17.0 TFL, 56 stops (5th in P5) and 27 pressures (7th in P5) while earning First Team All-American accolades for his accomplishments. His 91st percentile PFF defensive grade was the highest mark of any linebacker in the nation, with Cooper emphatically staking his claim as the top linebacker in the SEC. The Covington, LA product dazzled Combine onlookers with a blazing 1.54s 10-yard split (95th%) and 4.51s 40-yard dash (97th%). Cooper’s 34” arms are unnaturally long for off-ball duty, but his 7.20s 3-Cone is a middling 58th% time and he chose not to bench. Cooper Led LBs in sacks thanks to advanced quickness and get-off off which helps to offset his height. Despite verified elite athleticism, he could use another 5-10 pounds to handle the rigors of the NFL game. Very crafty when diagnosing run concepts and works around blocks efficiently, but isn’t going to stun blockers with his power. Born hitter with sideline-to-sideline speed and range who wants to deliver a crushing blow every play. Cooper is one of the premier linebackers in the 2024 group and is well-equipped to be a key cog in the middle of an NFL defense.
about 1 year ago
April 27, 2024 12:14 AM
