Eagles Rookie Introduces Himself With Impressive Debut

Darius Cooper introduced himself to Eagles fans as No. 41 on Thursday night. Then he made a more formal introduction after the defending Super Bowl champions got the preseason off on the right foot with a 34-27 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals..

“Darius Cooper, graduated from Tarleton State University, originally from St. Louis, Missouri and it’s just a blessing to be here,” was the first thing he said to a herd of reporters around his locker when informed that he had just made Eagles fans aware of who he was with a six-catch, 82-yard performance that included a 20-yard touchdown grab with 35 seconds to play in the first half top stretch the lead to 24-14 at halftime.

“This is a great organization to be introduced to,” he said. “First time being in the league because you work so hard at the details, the small things. When you put the work in at practice, you know, you come out with your brothers and everybody's on the same page - it just makes the game easier, so it was definitely a great experience being out there and playing with this team - and executing how we did.”

Despite being Division 1’s second-leading receiver last year, Cooper didn’t get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. He has no idea why. Still, he figured he’d be a seventh-round pick at worst. Then he wasn’t, and he signed with the Eagles, partly because he said A.J. Brown is his favorite receiver in the league.

“God has a purpose for everybody, so you gotta focus what you need to focus on,” he said. “Try not to worry about other distractions.”