It probably came a little later than he wanted, but former Ohio State defensive end Jonathon Cooper did indeed have his name called in the 2021 NFL draft when he was picked up by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round.
But, it’s a ticket to play the game if you will, and for Cooper, he now has a chance to show what he can do in the Mile High City when rookie camp starts and beyond into the fall. It’s awfully hard to make a splash in the NFL as a late round draft pick, but if there’s a guy that has the character and work ethic to do it, it’s Cooper.
Don’t believe us? How about taking a look at how the former Buckeye defensive end celebrated his name being called. He went straight out and played with neighborhood kids. Then, in the subsequent week following the draft, Cooper was back at work, depositing some sweat equity at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Take a look at Cooper getting after it in a video shared by the Ohio State Football Twitter account below.
Back in the lab with former Rushmen & @Broncos 2021 NFL Draft Pick, @JonathanCooper7
“Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose.”#MotivationalTuesday #R2X pic.twitter.com/bp5YkwY8QK
— Larry A. Johnson (@R2X_Rushmen1) May 4, 2021
It’s not hard at all to root for Cooper. He’s a very genuine guy that’s had to work extremely hard for where he has come with his football development. We’ll be following closely as Cooper’s journey to stick in the NFL gets off the ground and hopefully continues to take flight.