2024 2nd Round Pick #45 Overall Edgerrin Cooper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq1e0pQiHUc

Overview
Highly physical linebacker with elite top-end speed and a burning desire to get to the football that can lead to some inconsistencies in his play. Cooper is average at diagnosing the run but takes off around traffic on a mission to find the ball-carrier once he sees it. He can be undisciplined playing his run fits and takes unorthodox paths downhill, but he somehow finds ways to slither around blocks and make challenging tackles. Cooper is a punishing hitter/tackler from any spot on the field, but he’s going to overshoot the mark from time to time due to his lack of control in pursuit. He’s a capable quarterback spy, can blitz the pocket and will be an instant hit on special teams, but teams will need to balance the inconsistencies with the passionate run-and-hit mentality.

Strengths
Plays each snap with unbridled passion and intensity.
Much more responsive and decisive in 2023 than he was in 2022.
Possesses elite long speed to walk down his tackle targets.
Skilled block dodger with ability to play around traffic without slowing much.
Terrific job of sniffing out screens and spying athletic quarterbacks.
Good blitzer with adequate cover skills as zone dropper.
Brings the thunder as a forceful striker.

Weaknesses
Occasionally loses track of the football while searching the mesh point.
Could struggle with consistency of diagnosis needed inside.
Needs to drop pad level during block take-ons.
Undisciplined with scrape technique and plugging his run fits.
Lack of knee bend leads to inconsistencies as an open-field tackler.

Thanks for doing this Joe. LB video is way more entertaining than OL video. It looks like he doesn't need a clean shot at people to bring ball carriers down.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GMBh9yhX...jpg&name=large

Edgerrin Cooper, there’s my favourite pick this year.

This is our next NFL Hall of famer.
We love this guy!

'unbridled passion and intensity'.

Yaaaaas.

I'm on board with this.

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Originally Posted by George Cumby

'unbridled passion and intensity'.

Yaaaaas.

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That's what they said about Sophia Loren, too.

I don't know what to think. By the vast majority of accounts, the best off ball linebacker in a draft very weak in that position. It does sound like Guter expects him to be able to play all three linebacker spots.

Versatility is a key component of what the Packers look for - on both sides of the ball. Maybe Kenny Clark will pull a BJ Raji and start dropping into coverage,

this guy had Packer written all over him.

I honestly wonder if GB would have taken him over Cooper DeJean

Well, if you watch Guter's presser, you'd surely think so. He did say the trade back was in the works "a couple of picks" before the Iggles traded up, so it did not seem - if he is to be believed - that trading back was a fallback position once the Iggles moved up. He said he wanted to move up to get his guys, but he was glad his scouts pushed back on him there, because by being patient he did get his guys, without having to give up anything.

I am coming around to Sharpe and Mad's idea that we all loved DeJean a lot more than Guter ever did.

34 inch arms on a 6’2” guy is crazy. Combine that with speed to get sideline to sideline, and he could become a monster if he puts it together between the ears.

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Originally Posted by Fritz

Well, if you watch Guter's presser, you'd surely think so. He did say the trade back was in the works "a couple of picks" before the Iggles traded up, so it did not seem - if he is to be believed - that trading back was a fallback position once the Iggles moved up. He said he wanted to move up to get his guys, but he was glad his scouts pushed back on him there, because by being patient he did get his guys, without having to give up anything.

I am coming around to Sharpe and Mad's idea that we all loved DeJean a lot more than Guter ever did.

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I listed to what Gute said too; but GM's will make contingent deals. We'll never know. He could have said if player X was not there, we will do the deal.

Honestly though, I'd take Cooper, the Geogia S, and the two extra picks.

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Originally Posted by Bretsky

I listed to what Gute said too; but GM's will make contingent deals. We'll never know. He could have said if player X was not there, we will do the deal.

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You could be right. But the way Guter put it was that he was afraid he wasn't going to get his guys, so he wanted to move up, but his scouts pushed back and counseled patience because the board was falling so well, and they got their guys. If they really, really wanted DeJean, it sounds like they really could've gone up and gotten him. After all, the Iggles only had to move one spot ahead of Green Bay, so conceivably the Packers would've known the Iggles were interested, so when the team jsut before Green Bay was on the clock, Guter could've traded up one spot to be sure he got his guy. But he didn't.

Here's what the iggles gave up: "the Eagles, as Roseman described it, “made a concerted effort” to get DeJean. They gave up the No. 50, 53 and 161 picks to a division foe for the DeJean pick and the No. 78 and 152 picks." That's to move up ten spots. So basically they gave up their two second rounders and a later pick to get Dejean and a third rounder and a later pick. Moved up in the second, gave up a second, but acquired a third.

What would it have cost the Packers to move up one spot? Clearly less than that, and Guter could've afforded to do so, but he did not.

W

Man, the Eagles gave up a lot.

They must've thought Gute was going to pick him.

From McGinn:

2. EDGERRIN COOPER, Texas A&M (6-2, 230, 4.55, 2): Two-year starter at weak-side LB. “I think he’s a top-15 player,” said one scout. “It’s just the (low) value of the position. He does everything. Nasty and explosive. He covers, blitzes. He’ll take on. He can chase and he’s fast. Really fun to watch. He plays like he can (run the defense). His instincts are outstanding. He’s taller and longer than Roquan (Smith). He’s like Devin Lloyd in that they played him all over the place.” Posted eight of his 8 ½ career sacks in 2023. “He’s the best (linebacker) by far because he can rush the passer, too,” a second scout said. “He played 7-technique sometimes. Has upfield dip. As an inside backer he timed his blitzes. You see him downfield (covering) backs on wheels.” Finished with 204 tackles (30 ½ for loss), three forced fumbles, two picks and 10 passes defensed. “He can’t wear the green dot,” said a third scout. “Not a bad kid at all. He’s just a country kid that came from a poor, poor family upbringing, and he doesn’t know that he doesn’t know.” Late in the season, his girlfriend was killed in an accident as she was riding an ATV. “If people aren’t worried about things he’ll go high because he jumps off the tape,” said a third scout. “Just seems to be involved in every play. He’s a little skinny-legged guy. Plays a little light. I didn’t feel great about the legginess – having to change directions in space. Mid-round guy.” Arms were 34, the longest among the top 15 at the position. “The hangup is, is he able to handle it mentally?” said a fourth scout. “I think he’ll be just like (Devin) White. He’s going to be unorthodox. He’s not going to always play it like the coach wants. But with these quarterbacks these days and when they get out of the pocket, man, you need a guy that can shadow those guys and go get ‘em when the time comes. He can do that as good as anybody. He’s probably got the best close to the football of anybody, even Dallas Turner. His deal isn’t going to be taking on blockers. This guy is a low-wrap tackler where he is going to get you on the ground. He can fly sideline to sideline and scrape as good as anybody in the draft.” Weighed 218 when the Aggies began the season. Was 230 at the combine, 229 at pro day. “He may be close (to a bust) because he’s a mental midget,” said a fifth scout. “But he can do some things where you’re, ‘Wow.’” From Covington, La.

The death of the girlfriend thrown in is one of the most macabre things I’ve seen in a scouting report. Is that supposed to mean he’s damaged goods? I’m not sure why that even is included. Tragic as hell, but not really relatable to football.

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Originally Posted by King Friday

The death of the girlfriend thrown in is one of the most macabre things I’ve seen in a scouting report. Is that supposed to mean he’s damaged goods? I’m not sure why that even is included. Tragic as hell, but not really relatable to football.

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100%. So fucking bizarre, if not cruel.

@Marcus_Mosher
The
@PFF
stable metrics for Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper are INSANE:

98th percentile run stop %
97th percentile run defense grade
96th percentile coverage grade
95th percentile forced inc. %
95th percentile box cov. grade

I absolutely love this pick. He’s my favorite of the class by far at this point. He played big boy football in the SEC and was putting up plays all over the place. With his background, he’s going to be a great fit in Green Bay because he’s not a big city kid. He is going to live and breathe football and if him and Quay put it together, we will have our best tandem at LB in a long time.

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Originally Posted by Fritz

Well, if you watch Guter's presser, you'd surely think so. He did say the trade back was in the works "a couple of picks" before the Iggles traded up, so it did not seem - if he is to be believed - that trading back was a fallback position once the Iggles moved up. He said he wanted to move up to get his guys, but he was glad his scouts pushed back on him there, because by being patient he did get his guys, without having to give up anything.

I am coming around to Sharpe and Mad's idea that we all loved DeJean a lot more than Guter ever did.

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That just means he was taking calls, as he does with every single pick. We got a great athlete who lacks great instinct. One false step, or .3 seconds delay in diagnosing a play and he runs a 5.5, but hits people really hard as he is trying to catch up. Oren Burks did that as well. Remember all the articles. He's learning to make his reads. We are teaching him to watch the guards feet. He never quite caught on. I hope I'm wrong. I do think he will be "adequate", but with a top 50 pick I want more than adequate.

Oren Burks didn’t have stats or film that was even somewhat comparable to Cooper. Cooper blew things up…and against teams like Alabama and Georgia. Vanderbilt isn’t a hot bed of NFL talent.

There's no comparison Cooper to Burks.

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Originally Posted by George Cumby

There's no comparison Cooper to Burks.

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Except I made one. But I'll be fair and say Cooper is mean as a rattlesnake and we need that. I like his unbridled aggression, its just likely to piss me off at some point. I don't hate the player mind you, I hate picking him in the top 50.

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Originally Posted by bobblehead

Except I made one. But I'll be fair and say Cooper is mean as a rattlesnake and we need that. I like his unbridled aggression, its just likely to piss me off at some point. I don't hate the player mind you, I hate picking him in the top 50.

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Yes, please. I'll take that, even if he misses a few tackles. Dude plays hard and with fire. So, does the Georgia safety. I think this team needs that.

The stuff the scouts tell McGinn are hilarious sometimes, and maddening. Totally contradict each other. Of course beauty is going to be in the eye of the beholder, and the scheme.

I like the pick. He's ultra-athletic and is basically a smaller Quay. He might be a better football player than Quay coming out as well.
The mental midget stuff is a little concerning, and I'd heard about the ATV accident. I'm pretty sure GB dug into that and worked him over about it on the Top 30 visit. If they had concerns they wouldn't have taken him; GB usually stays away from dumb characters.

I wonder if they'll give McKinney the green dot instead. I don't know that Quay should have it; and maybe just letting Quay and Cooper fly to the ball without having to think too much is what you want.

As for Cooper Dejean, PHI did give up a bunch. I'm not convinced Dejean was a perfect scheme fit for Hafley, but I do think he is a good player and versatile enough where he'd succeed. I don't completely buy the "we were going to trade down before the Dejean pick" stuff. They usually work out trade offers before they're on the clock, I'm guessing they decided to execute on the trade after Dejean went. He's a good prospect and would have been a nice addition. PHI did well to get him and Quinyon, but they really paid thru the nose.

It's a close call but I'd rather have Edgerrin Cooper, Bullard, and the two extra picks than Cooper Dejean and whomever was left at LB. He's the best off-ball LB in the draft class (for what that's worth) and they needed ILBs badly.

The Packers had to have done their homework on this kid's mental makeup. Let Q or someone else make the calls at the line, and as long as Cooper knows what to do when the call is made, he'll be fine. If he can't learn what to do with the calls, then the Packers fucked up drafting him. There were questions about Nick Collins mental abilities, and he was great until the injury. On the other hand, there were questions about Terrance Marshall's intelligence and he sucked.


As for the girlfriend, as long as he wasn't the cause, and he isn't so depressed that he can't function, it isn't a concern.

His highlight reel has a bunch of real game wrecker moments in it.

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Originally Posted by bobblehead

Except I made one. But I'll be fair and say Cooper is mean as a rattlesnake and we need that. I like his unbridled aggression, its just likely to piss me off at some point. I don't hate the player mind you, I hate picking him in the top 50.

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I’ve never completely agreed with that whole thing about not liking a player because of where he was chosen in the draft. If Cooper becomes an all pro, what difference does it make if he was drafted at #45 or #65? If he’d slid to the third and the Packers took him, why would that make any of us more excited? It’s really “can this guy be a great player or not?” I get that you don’t want to take kickers and punters in the first round, but if you pick an all pro ten-year starting guard, say, in the first round, as the Seahawks did when they drafted Steve Hutchinson way back when, isn’t that a damn good pick?

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Originally Posted by King Friday

The death of the girlfriend thrown in is one of the most macabre things I’ve seen in a scouting report. Is that supposed to mean he’s damaged goods? I’m not sure why that even is included. Tragic as hell, but not really relatable to football.

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I don't know. Didn't we draft a kid who's best friend (I think his QB) died and he walked out of camp with depression? Tried to play a year later and never had passion for the game. Cole Madison?? Was that his name? Its relevant.

per GBPG:

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Cooper has three French bulldogs and three cane corsos. According to Stacy Dales during coverage of the NFL scouting combine, Cooper walks each dog individually.

"Those are my little homies down there," Cooper said during an interview with the Bryan College Station Eagle. "Hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. That’s where I get to rest my mind."

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Sounds like he will enjoy Green Bay.

What is a "cane corso"? I've wanted to cane Lee Corso before; is that what this is?

Cooper seemed genuinely pumped when they announced he was going to Green Bay - maybe that was part of it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by King Friday

The death of the girlfriend thrown in is one of the most macabre things I’ve seen in a scouting report. Is that supposed to mean he’s damaged goods? I’m not sure why that even is included. Tragic as hell, but not really relatable to football.

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The mental is important. The melancholic player tends not to play at her optimal physical ability.

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Originally Posted by Patler

per GBPG:

“Hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. That’s where I get to rest my mind."

Sounds like he will enjoy Green Bay.

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Great. A redneck.

Just an Aggie hahahaha

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Originally Posted by Anti-Polar Bear

Great. A redneck.

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Nice broad swipe with the insult brush.

The more I ponder this pick, the more mysterious it seems. If they really, really, really loved this guy, you'd think they'd have grabbed him with their #41, instead of trading back with N.O. You couldn't be 100% sure he'd still be there. Yet they also did not trade up to get DeJean, as it seems they could have done, if DeJean was that much more desirable. Maybe they didn't want to lose out on Edgerrin Cooper, or one someone else that they had ranked worthy of a #45 pick. They must've had a list of maybe four guys they liked about equally well, Edgerrin Cooper being one of them.

I just hope he kicks ass and doesn't get hurt due to his weight. I do enjoy the prospect of seeing him fly around and hit people, and maybe cover a tad better than Devondre Campbell.

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Originally Posted by Patler

per GBPG:



Sounds like he will enjoy Green Bay.

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I was in College Station for 2 months in 2022. Saw a lot of East Texas. Also been to GB twice. Other than the cold there is a lot similar. Many cows and White people with lots of hunting areas. A lot of open terrain, green and lush landscape with humidity. Neither had a big city feel but are close to the big cities. Both are close to the border if you are feeling international. I don’t think he would have like the big cities based on the dogs alone. We always read about young NFLers having a hard time staying cool when they find success. It’s part of why I love the Pack. Green Bay is the kind of place I would want to live too!

Bobble is tripping, like his coke was laced with fent. He is just bitter his tattoo doesn’t have the same meaning anymore.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fritz

The more I ponder this pick, the more mysterious it seems. If they really, really, really loved this guy, you'd think they'd have grabbed him with their #41, instead of trading back with N.O. You couldn't be 100% sure he'd still be there.

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Brian had guys in the room telling him that he'd be there. And they really, really needed Cooper.

Balls of steel on our GM.

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Originally Posted by MadtownPacker

I was in College Station for 2 months in 2022. Saw a lot of East Texas. Also been to GB twice. Other than the cold there is a lot similar. Many cows and White people with lots of hunting areas. A lot of open terrain, green and lush landscape with humidity. Neither had a big city feel but are close to the big cities. Both are close to the border if you are feeling international. I don’t think he would have like the big cities based on the dogs alone. We always read about young NFLers having a hard time staying cool when they find success. It’s part of why I love the Pack. Green Bay is the kind of place I would want to live too!

Bobble is tripping, like his coke was laced with fent. He is just bitter his tattoo doesn’t have the same meaning anymore.

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Green Bay is cold, dark and dull. And full of racist Germans. Can’t even enjoy the outdoors, like disc golf, anymore without worrying about Lyme disease due to the tick infestation.

There’s a reason most players simply “work” in Green Bay and leave town as soon as the season ends. I, too, would leave cold, dark and dull Wisconsin if I weren’t chained to the burger joint.

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Originally Posted by Anti-Polar Bear

Green Bay is cold, dark and dull. And full of racist Germans. Can’t even enjoy the outdoors, like disc golf, anymore without worrying about Lyme disease due to the tick infestation.

There’s a reason most players simply “work” in Green Bay and leave town as soon as the season ends. I, too, would leave cold, dark and dull Wisconsin if I weren’t chained to the burger joint.

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Yeah, it's awful and just plain unlucky that there are no burger joints in warm/sunny states.