From The Ringer:
AGGRESSIVE, THUMPING LINEBACKER who pursues ballcarriers like he’s a bat out of Hades and causes havoc as a blitzer.
- Short-Area Quickness
- Instinctual Playmaking
Cooper is tall, with a well-built frame and long arms. He plays all over the defensive formation, primarily as a stack linebacker, but also gets looks as an overhang defender or edge player. The former Aggies star shows good vision and anticipation for run lanes, and he consistently sifts through the trash and avoids blocks to arrive at the ballcarrier. He has high-end closing speed; when he shoots downhill, he accelerates quickly and arrives at his target in the blink of an eye. There are times when he overtakes opponents before they seem to know what hit them. Cooper is an effective blitzer who was often used right up on the line, sugaring the A gaps. He has first-step burst and a knack for slipping through offensive linemen to locate the ballcarrier. He flies in from the second level like a heat-seeking missile on blitz looks and finds ways to duck under and skip past block attempts to get himself into the backfield. He totaled eight sacks to go with 27 pressures in 2023, per PFF, which ranked 12th among off-ball linebackers. He also notched 56 stops (15th). He spies the quarterback and tracks down scramble attempts. He chases down the play and sticks with runs to the other side of the field, showing excellent hustle from snap to whistle. He’s rangy in coverage, flashing the ability to flip his hips and carry tight ends upfield or get to his landmarks and keep his head on a swivel on zone drops.
Cooper can play a little too upright, which reduces his reaction time, and he can get caught flat-footed and out of position. He occasionally overruns pursuits when he comes in too high and needs to get better at dropping his weight and chopping his feet to break down and make a tackle in space. He gets caught up on blocks and struggles to disengage at times.
Cooper is a rangy and versatile stack linebacker who tracks down the ballcarrier at supersonic speeds and affects the quarterback as a blitzer.
He plays too tall at times, which hurts his leverage and take-on power. He will overrun pursuits.
- A fourth-year junior and former four-star prospect out of Covington, Louisiana. Was the 11th-ranked outside linebacker in his class and the no. 162 player overall.
- Played in 22 games (one start) as a reserve over his first two seasons in College Station. Was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2021.
- Became a starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2022. Finished the year with 61 tackles (eight for loss), five pass breakups, five QB hurries, an interception, and a forced fumble.
- Started all 12 regular-season games for the Aggies in 2023 and was named an AP first-team All-American. Totaled 84 tackles (17 for loss), eight sacks, 10 QB hurries, two pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.