SI All-American Candidate Terrence Cooks Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: LB Terrence Cooks
Projected Position: Outside Linebacker
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
School: Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek
Committed to: Texas
Frame: Well-proportioned and muscled. Broad shoulders and long arms. Low waist. Thick, tightly-wound legs and trunk taper to slender calves. Significant growth potential.
Athleticism: Elite speed. Long, fluid strider who routinely chases down smaller players in open field. Boasts of unconfirmed 4.53 40-yard dash. Light, instinctive feet; moves well in short areas. Not the loosest hips. Strong and powerful, regularly maintaining balance through contact.
Instincts: Never gives up on play. Gives maximum effort in pursuit, occasionally running down ball-carriers that seemed destined for end zone. Comfortable engaging with blockers, but would rather diagnose and shed than plug hole. Routinely gets “skinny,” sliding through linemen to get to the ball.
Polish: Sound tackler; arrives low, with power. Clear understanding of responsibilities as edge defender in run and pass game. Limited arsenal of pass-rush moves. Possesses raw strength, but needs to show he can anchor against Power-5 linemen.
Bottom Line: Cooks’ chiseled physique and eye-popping long speed make him a tantalizing prospect. Profiles as multi-year starter at whatever position he ends up, but ceiling highest at inside linebacker or WILL. Clear All-Conference potential, with NFL upside.