The Green Bay Packers selected Texas A&M edge rusher Edgerrin Cooper in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com provided an extensive breakdown of him in his draft profile.
Zierlein compared Cooper to Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd.
“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,” wrote Zierlein.
Lloyd seems like a rather odd comparison for Cooper, given Cooper has developed into a fine pass rusher and Lloyd has not logged a sack in two NFL seasons.
But perhaps Zierlein merely feels that Cooper has Lloyd’s instincts and similar physical attributes.
“Cooper is average at diagnosing the run but takes off around traffic on a mission to find the ball-carrier once he sees it,” continued Zierlein. “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 racked up 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a breakout 2023 campaign.
“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,” added Zierlein. “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.”
The 22-year-old only totaled a half of a sack over his first three seasons at Texas A&M, so his most recent campaign was certainly a surprise.
The Packers amassed 45 sacks this past year, which ranked in the middle of the pack in the NFL. We’ll see if Edgerrin Cooper can help them increase that number in 2024.
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