Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
6-foot-2, 230 pounds; RS JR
A four-star recruit in 2020, Cooper played in all 10 games, primarily on special teams as a true freshman and used the COVID exception to mark it as a redshirt, before taking on a more prominent role as a rotational player on defense, starting one of 12 games (58 tackles, 5.5 for loss, one INT and PBU each).
He became a full-time starter in 2022, when he racked up 61 total stops, eight for loss, five PBUs and one fumble forced, recovered and interception each. This year, he recorded career highs in total stops (84), TFLs (17), sacks (eight) and forced fumbles (two), along with a couple of PBUs, earning first-team All-American accolades.
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Run defense:
+ Generally patient with tracking the ball in the backfield, but then quickly fills the gap when he sees the guy commit
+ Almost like a running back, he can shoot through tight creases on wide zone concepts and affect the running back trying to string out plays
+ Has plenty of short-area juice scrape over the top of blocks and defeats guys to a spot as they try to pin him away from the action
+ Packs impressive suddenness and flexibility to dip underneath/bend around blockers on longer-developing run concepts and hawk down the ball carrier behind a pulling lineman
+ Regularly is able to free himself in traffic and get the initial wrap on the ball carrier
+ Presents a massive tackling radius with his length (34-inch arms) and flexibility, where it looks like a ball carrier gets by him, but he trips that guy up or clutches a leg and the rest of the cavalry can arrive there
+ Showcases tremendous closing speed out to the edges
+ There are several nice lasso-tackles on tape, to pull guys backward and not allow them to get to the first-down marker
Coverage:
+ You like his presence as a Tampa-2 dropper, with his ability to gain depth and the 34-inch arms to get a hand on balls thrown over his head
+ Seems to have no issues running the pole with tight ends or matching them on crossers
+ You see the easy gas to turn and run with guys like former Alabama star RB Jahmyr Gibbs (who runs in the mid-4.3s) down the sideline on wheel routes
+ Cooper’s ability to change directions and cover ground after stepping up with the run-fake on play-actions really stands out
+ Packs the quick burst to erase the space to running backs releasing through the line and breaking either way or they have the advantage based on alignment on a swing/flat route
+ Rapidly shuts down YAC opportunities for guys out in the flats after dropping into the hook area
+ Has a way of avoiding or fighting over crack blocks and guys trying to wall him off in the screen game
+ You see him line up on the edge and run down bubbles and tunnel screens to wide receivers at times
Blitzing:
+ Was involved in A&M’s rush package quite a bit, where you saw him on cross-blitzes, delayed loops and even straight-up coming off the edge
+ His ability to kind of get around traffic and bend his way toward the passer pops
+ Insane closing burst when the gap opens up and he can get a hit on the quarterback
+ Light on his feet to be an effective spy and mirror the quarterback’s movement – you see him shut those guys down when they scramble or just barreling down on them off bootlegs in the blink of an eye
+ Had an insane play for Texas A&M this season, diagnosing a screen to the back, evading a couple of linemen and making the tackle before it could get going at all
+ Was tied for the highest overall PFF grade among all FBS linebackers last season (90.8), in part due to recording a pressure on every third pass-rush snap (27 on 83 opportunities)
Weaknesses:
– Too often allows offensive linemen to get into his frame and has to work on using his arms to keep them at bay
– Can get a little unreliable with his run fits, where he overstrides the ball on zone schemes or attacks a puller straight-up instead of maintaining leverage inside and allows the back to cut behind him
– Not the most instinctive zone-dropper and gets caught more so just covering grass too frequently, instead of finding work
– Allows quarterbacks to move him or at least turn him the wrong way with their eyes
– Could do a better job of coming to balance as a tackler in open-field situations – missed double-digit tackles in each of the past three seasons
No linebackers in this class present higher potential than Edge Cooper. He has the combination of length, explosiveness, quick twitch and long speed to fit any scheme, although you’d prefer to keep him clean and not make him deal with linemen climbing up to him.
He needs to work on not being as overaggressive with wanting to beat the ball to a spot, particularly because he has the rapid burst to make up for being a tick slow.
However, if he can work on his block deconstruction, maximizing his 34-inch arms, and continue to develop his sense for space as a zone defender, being able to play at full speed could make him a menace from sideline to sideline, while already being a weapon as part of your rush.
So, I could see him struggle early on and have issues growing as a young player if coaches put too much on his plate, but if allowed to be more of a run-and-chase specialist instead of allowing offensive play-callers to make his head spin, paired with a more reliable presence next to him – similarly to what we saw in the career arc of Patrick Queen in Baltimore once they traded for Roquan Smith – he could turn himself into a true impact player, definitely worth of a top-50 selection.
Grade: Top 50
