The 2024 NFL Draft is just two days away. Thirty-two players will hear their names called on Thursday night, and 257 players will embark on a new journey by the end of the weekend. For former Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, becoming a first-round selection is still in the cards, but the start of the second round is much more realistic.
Either way, the 21-year-old backer possesses elite traits that have made him a Top 50 player according to several NFL Draft analysts, including Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who just released his final player comparisons ahead of this weekend’s festivities.
Standing at 6-2 and 230 pounds, Cooper’s length and notable speed after running a 4.51 40-yard dash during the NFL combine has spawned a popular comparison to current Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, but according to Farrar, Cooper’s future is much more comparable to current Philadelphia Eagles LB Shaquille (Shaq) Leonard:
“Among all linebackers in this draft class, nobody has Edgerrin Cooper’s speed to the ballcarrier, and his “see guy/hit guy” playing personality is singularily impressive. Cooper reminds me alot of Shaquille (formerly Darius) Leonard, who was selected by the Inidanapolis Colts in the second round of the 2018 draft out of South Carolina State. The two players are similar size-wise, and at his peak, Leonard had an equivialent ability to rocket accross the field to limit all kind of potential opponent exursions.”
During Leonard’s five-year starting career with the Colts, he was a 3X First-team All-Pro selection while leading the league in tackles during his prolific rookie season. Could Cooper emulate Leonard’s historic first three years in the league? It’s possible, especially after his final season in College Station, which included eight sacks and 19 tackles for loss.
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