Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper To Meet With Several Teams Prior To NFL Draft
Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper will be a busy man over the next several weeks leading up to April's NFL Draft. He won't be spending much time in College Station following the Aggies' Pro Day later this month.
According to The Draft Network, Cooper has seven top-30 visits coming up before the first round of the NFL draft on April 25. On top state visits with the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, the junior standout is expected to meet with the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cooper, who led the SEC with 17 tackles for losses in his final season with the Aggies, is expected to be a late-first or early second-round pick. Currently, the Texans, Cowboys, Eagles, Packers and Buccaneers own late-first-round picks, while the Panthers own the first pick of the second round.
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A native of Covington, La., Cooper established himself as potentially this year's top linebacker prospect last month at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with one of the better workouts among prospects. His 4.52 40-time ranked second among linebackers.
Cooper also posted a broad jump of 9-foot-10-inches and posted a 34.5-inch vertical jump. He said during interviews he models his game after San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowler Fred Warner. It's a good comparison as the two have identical measurements at 6-3, 230 pounds.
A consensus All-American, Cooper finished the 2023 season with 83 tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as part of top-25 scoring defense. He also posted two double-digit tackle performances, including an 11-stop day against then-No. 11 Alabama at Kyle Field in early October.
Dallas could be an interesting option for the head-hunting hog hunter. The Cowboys are under new watch as former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer joined the staff to replace the departed Dan Quinn.
Zimmer, a defensive wiz, is best known for helping Anthony Barr transition from an edge rusher at UCLA into one of the league's better blitzing backers. He also mentored All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks for seven seasons.
Kendricks, who inked a one-year deal to reunite with Zimmer in Dallas, would serve as a mentor to Cooper should be the selection.
Cooper had formal interviews with the NFC East franchise last month at the combine, while also meeting with the Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers also met with Cooper during the East-West Shrine Bowl as one of their formal interviews.
Carolina could be a potential landing spot following the departure of Frankie Luvu. Carolina runs a base 3-4 defense under Ejiro Evero but could be looking for a replacement for veteran Shaq Thompson.
The Chargers, who released Kendricks to save cap space under former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, currently have one linebacker on the roster with playing experience. Los Angeles likely wouldn't draft Cooper with the fifth overall pick, but it could target the thumper in the second round at pick No. 37.
