SI All-American Candidate Omarion Cooper Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Omarion Cooper
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot, 172 pounds
Position: Cornerback
School: Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh Senior
Committed to: Florida State
Projected Position: Cornerback
Frame: Tall with a thin upper body. Very long arms and legs. Room to weigh 190 pounds or so.
Athleticism: Loose hips and quick change of direction from press coverage, where he seems most comfortable. Very good makeup speed; fairly fluid through transitions. Bends very well, too. Quick hands during the onset of play and when the football arrives at the wide receiver.
Instincts: Really quick hands for press coverage ‘punch’ at the snap of the football. Physical prospect best suited to challenge opponents at the line of scrimmage. Reads the movements of wide receivers well, enabling him to break on comeback routes and 50-50 balls. Times his jump extremely well to breakup downfield jump balls.
Polish: Talented press corner with physical nature. Quickness and athleticism allow him to break on the football, but he still needs technical work at the snap, particularly with a wide base. Uses his hands very well. Can also run in phase, leading to the stacking of the intended target.
Bottom Line: Cooper will be a No. 1 college cornerback in time. Boasts the speed, hips and open-field burst to be an elite college player. Can play cornerback to the wide side of the field, going one-on-one against truly gifted athletes. He just needs the natural progression of added weight and technique refinement to solidify that status.