Tag: Cooper Hodges

Cooper Hodges on preseason debut: ‘I feel like I definitely belong’

Cooper Hodges is sure about one thing after Saturday: he’s not out of his depth in the NFL.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie offensive lineman Cooper Hodges wasn’t ready to evaluate his play Saturday night after his preseason debut. While he told reporters after the game that he felt he played pretty well, he needed to see film first before he could be sure of that.

Hodges was confident about one thing, though: he’s not out of his depth in the NFL.

“It’s still football. Still the game I’ve been playing since I was five,” Hodges said. “It’s all ball. The biggest thing is just the detail you have to take in and the process for each play. After today, I feel like I definitely belong here.

“It was still fun and that is the biggest thing. A lot of people tell you when you get here that it is a job. Man, it was still fun. It was still fun running the ball, getting yards, score touchdowns. It is all still fun.”

Hodges is trying to beat the odds and make the 53-man roster as a seventh-round rookie. While it’d be easy to forget about one of the last picks in the Jaguars’ massive 13-player draft class, Hodges has made himself hard to miss in training camp. The offensive lineman has done daily cartwheels for fans and offensive coordinator was complimentary of the physicality Hodges has brought to the practice field.

That was evident on the field Saturday night when Hodges made a few key blocks, including one that sprung running back D’Ernest Johnson free for a 26-yard gain.

It’s still too early to tell if Hodges will make the 53-man roster, but he’s right in his assessment: the Appalachian State alum looks like he belongs.

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Cooper Hodges ‘has brought a physicality’ to Jaguars training camp

Cooper Hodges has been hard to miss in his first Jaguars training camp.

It’s not easy to make an impression as a seventh-round draft pick, but Cooper Hodges is also hard to miss.

The 6’3, 311-pound rookie offensive tackle from nearby Baker County has taken it upon himself to pump up training camp attendees with high fives and even an occasional cartwheel. Hodges has managed to stand out on the field too.

“Cooper has brought a physicality,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said of the rookie. “He brings a physical aspect. That’s been the one thing as these young guys continue to adjust to the speed of the game and the amount of offense we have in, he’s done a good job of just being physical.

“At the end of the day, that’s a huge part of this game and playing offensive line. He certainly has that element. Now, it’s just about continuing to get better every single day and these games are a little different than practice, so we’ll see as we get into this aspect of it, what it looks like for him.”

Hodges picked up plenty of experience at the collegiate level, starting 51 consecutive games and earning All-Sun Belt honors in four straight seasons at Appalachian State. In more than 3,100 offensive snaps played with the Mountaineers, Pro Football Focus credited Hodges with allowing just three sacks.

In Jacksonville, Hodges has some tough competition for a roster spot with Cam Robinson, Walker Little, and Anton Harrison all at the top of the depth chart.

So far, though, Hodges is doing all the things to make a good first impression.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: OL Cooper Hodges

Jaguars seventh-round pick Cooper Hodges is hoping to make the roster of his childhood “dream team.”

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is underway. Join us for a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Before Cooper Hodges was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection at Appalachian State, the offensive tackle was a Jacksonville Jaguars fan who lived just 30 minutes away from the team’s TIAA Bank Field.

Now he’s hoping to earn a spot on the roster of his “dream team” after he was a seventh round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Hodges is one of only three players, along with Coy Cronk and Cam Robinson, who is listed as an offensive tackle by the Jaguars. Every other lineman on the team’s roster is simply listed as an offensive lineman.

But Hodges may need to show off his versatility in camp given the team’s logjam at the top of the tackle depth chart.

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $26,373 prorated signing bonus, $776,373 cap hit.

Acquired: The Jaguars drafted Hodges with the No. 226 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.

PFF grades:

  • 87.0 (2022 – APPST)
  • 80.4 (2021 – APPST)
  • 74.9 (2020 – APPST)
  • 79.8 (2019 – APPST)

Highlight:

Quote: “I’ve been watching the Jags for a long time. Just a lifelong fan. They’re the reason I got into professional football, just knowing there was a team 30 minutes away, going to games. To play 30 minutes away. For these home games, you’re gonna have family and friends there all the time, it’s just honestly a blessing and a great opportunity for me and I couldn’t be more excited for it.” – Hodges

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50)
Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55) Yasir Abdullah (No. 56)
Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64) Chandler Brewer (No. 67)
Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73) Cam Robinson (No. 74)
Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79) Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80)
Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87) Oliver Martin (No. 88)
Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Dawuane Smoot (No. 91) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus Jacob Harris
Josh Pederson

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Jaguars announce contracts for 10 of their 13 draft picks

Only three draftees are unsigned after the Jaguars announced a flurry of contracts Friday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed 10 draft picks Friday, announcing contracts for running back Tank Bigsby, linebacker Ventrell Miller, outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, safety Antonio Johnson, wide receiver Parker Washington, cornerback Erick Hallett II, cornerback Christian Braswell, offensive lineman Cooper Hodges, defensive tackle Raymond Vohasek, and fullback Derek Parish.

That leaves only first-round pick Anton Harrison, second-round pick Brenton Strange, and fourth-round pick Tyler Lacy left unsigned from the team’s 2023 NFL draft class.

Strange reportedly reached a deal with the Jaguars on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, but the contract hasn’t been announced by the Jaguars yet.

Details of the rookie deals signed Friday haven’t been made public, but most of the terms of the contracts are pre-determined by the rookie wage scale written into the league’s collective bargaining agreement. An eventual deal with Harrison is expected to be for about $13.2 million over four years with a fifth-year option that’ll be impacted by play time and potential Pro Bowl appearances.

The Jaguars’ 13-player draft class is the largest in the franchise’s history. Ten of those selections came in Day 3, the most for any team in the last three drafts.

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Jaguars 2023 draft: Projected contract for each Jacksonville pick

The contract for each player picked by the Jaguars in the 2023 NFL draft has largely been predetermined by the CBA.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year deal with sixth-round wide receiver Parker Washington on Thursday, but that still leaves another 12 draft picks to sign.

While that may sound like a costly endeavor, the total cost of the signings shouldn’t be much. The collective sum of the 2023 cap hits for the Jaguars’ picks will exceed 10 million, but the NFL only requires teams to fit their top 51 contracts under the salary cap (as fitting 90 under the cap in the offseason would be unrealistic).

With a rookie wage scale in place and the Jaguars not picking in the top 10 for the first time in a while, the total cost of a baker’s dozen of rookie contracts isn’t much.

Here are what the 13 draftees are likely to get when they finalize their deals with the Jaguars:

Introducing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2023 NFL Draft class

Get to know the 13 players drafted by the Jaguars this year.

The 2023 NFL draft is in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars added their biggest class ever.

With 13 players — 10 of which came on Day 3 — the Jaguars have a ton of rookies competing for spots on a mostly intact roster that won the AFC South in 2022.

While experts largely predicted that the Jaguars would target defensive backs and pass rushers early, the team instead spent its first three picks on offensive players.

Here’s the baker’s dozen of draftees and links to learn more about each of them:

Lifelong Jaguars fan Cooper Hodges happy to be drafted by ‘dream team’

Jaguars seventh-round pick Cooper Hodges played high school football just 30 minutes from TIAA Bank Field.

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted a local prospect early in the day Saturday when they took Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller in the fourth round, but the real hometown draftee is probably seventh-round guard Cooper Hodges of Appalachian State.

Before he was a star lineman for the Mountaineers, Hodges played at Baker County High School in Glen St. Mary, Fla., about 35 miles west of TIAA Bank Field.

“It hasn’t even really set in yet,” Hodges said in a conference call with reporters. “I’ve been watching the Jags for a long time. Just a lifelong fan. They’re the reason I got into professional football, just knowing there was a team 30 minutes away, going to games.

“To play 30 minutes away. For these home games, you’re gonna have family and friends there all the time, it’s just honestly a blessing and a great opportunity for me and I couldn’t be more excited for it.”

Hodges told reporters that he knew he was on the Jaguars’ radar, even though he was dealing with a stomach bug when he visited the team for its local pro day.

“I struggled just because I was real sick,” Hodges said. “But I was like ‘Man, I gotta find a way to get there and just, you know, be there.’ It’s my hometown team, it’s my dream team. I just had to fight through a little adversity and make it there.”

While seventh-round picks typically face an uphill climb to make the roster, there isn’t a ton of competition between Hodges and a roster spot as there’s little depth on the interior of the Jaguars’ offensive line.

During his time at Appalachian State, Hodges was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection and was credited with allowing seven sacks in 1,668 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle.

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One play from each draftee that shows what they bring to the Jaguars

What do the newest members of the Jaguars bring to the table? These plays offer a glimpse:

It obviously takes a lot more than one play to evaluate a football player. But sometimes one highlight is all it takes to see the size, speed, strength, athleticism, and skills that someone brings to the field.

In the 2023 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars added 13 new players to their roster. While some — like former Auburn running back Tank Bigsby and Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller — might be familiar to Jaguars fans, others are new names and faces.

So what do the new members of the Jaguars bring to the table? Here’s one highlight from each draftee that shows what Jacksonville hopes it’s going to get:

Jaguars draft Appalachian State G Cooper Hodges with No. 226 pick

The Jaguars added some interior offensive line depth by picking Cooper Hodges in the seventh round.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Appalachian State offensive lineman Cooper Hodges in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft with the No. 226 overall selection.

Hodges, who was listed at 6’4, 305 pounds, was a four-time All-Sun Belt selection and earned Third Team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus in 2022. While he played right tackle for the Mountaineers, the Jaguars announced Hodges as a guard when he was picked.

The No. 226 overall pick used to select Hodges was acquired by the Jaguars in August 2022 with a trade that sent receiver Laviska Shenault to the Carolina Panthers.

Last offseason, the Jaguars signed Brandon Scherff to be the team’s right tackle. The left guard spot was decided in a training camp battle between veteran Tyler Shatley and 2020 fourth-rounder Ben Bartch. While the latter won the role, he suffered a season-ending injury and Shatley took over in the starting lineup.

There’s little depth at guard behind Shatley and Bartch, and Hodges will battle Cole Van Lanen and Blake Hance for a spot on the roster.

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Chiefs hosted Appalachian State OT Cooper Hodges on top-30 visit

The #Chiefs had an intriguing offensive line prospect in for a top-30 visit recently, per report.

The Kansas City Chiefs have brought quite a few prospects in for top-30 visits. The latest report is on an offensive lineman who has already had his opportunity to visit with the team.

According to Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, the Chiefs have already hosted Appalachian State OT Cooper Hodges on a top-30 visit. Hodges has a lot of snaps under his belt at the collegiate level with 51 game appearances since 2019, primarily playing at the right tackle position.

A hair under 6-foot-4 and 304 pounds with 33-inch arms, Hodges has an athletic profile that compares favorably to former Chiefs RT Andrew Wylie. He ran a 40-yard dash in 5.06s, posted 29 repetitions of 225 in the bench press, recorded a 29-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump. He’s a bit quicker and stronger than Wylie, but not quite as explosive.

While Hodges played the tackle position at App State, he kicked inside to play right guard during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and saw a lot of success.

As a senior in 2022, Hodges allowed just 10 total pressures, including one sack. He helped App State RBs Nate Noel (6.9) and Camerun Peoples (5.9) to top five yards per carry averages in the Sun Belt in 2022. His 87 overall blocking grade from PFF ranked No. 1 among starting right tackles at the FBS level.

Remember, top-30 visits aren’t simply reserved for first-round draft prospects. A lot of the time, the Chiefs utilize them on lesser-known prospects who could end up as late-round draft picks or priority undrafted free agents. Hodges likely falls in that latter category.

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