Packers Draft All-American Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in Second Round

The Green Bay Packers used their first pick on Friday night on Texas A&M’s high-impact linebacker, Edgerrin Cooper.

Packers first-round pick Edgerrin Cooper / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ migration to a new 4-3 defensive scheme required another linebacker. They got the best prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper with the 45th overall pick of the second round on Friday night.

“It’s a sigh of relief, knowing how far I came and just ready to step it up at the next level,” Cooper said in a Zoom call. “That’s it, ready to make the next move.”

The Packers were scheduled to pick 41st but traded the pick to the New Orleans Saints. The Packers moved back four spots and picked up additional picks in the fifth and sixth rounds to run their total to 13.

Cooper was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023. In 12 games, he led the SEC with 17 tackles for losses. He added eight sacks and 84 tackles. With elite production, Cooper flashed elite athleticism. He measured 6-foot-2 1/8 and 230 pounds at the Scouting Combine. His 34-inch arms would be the envy of most of the team’s offensive tackles. He ran his 40 in 4.51 seconds – an elite time boosted by a 10-yard time of 1.58 seconds. He finished with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.13.

After missing out on Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, who went to the Eagles at No. 40, and Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who went to the Saints at Green Bay’s original spot at No. 41, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had his pick of the linebackers and went with Cooper.

Cooper will join Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie as the linebackers in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s alignment.

“That was something I always thought of – playing with another fast linebacker,” Cooper said of playing alongside Walker. “Our defense, being able to go sideline to sideline, having two weapons on the field like that, I feel like could be very dangerous.”

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Viewed as a potential first-round pick, Cooper’s nerves were “building up and down” while waiting for his name to be called. After sitting through all of Thursday and about half of Friday’s second round, Cooper finally got to enjoy the moment.

The Packers were thrilled to end his wait. It will be up to the new defensive coaching staff, led by coordinator Jeff Hafley, to figure out how Walker, Cooper and McDuffie are going to play together, assistant director of college scouting Pat Moore said.

“The NFL’s become much more of a sideline-to-sideline game and those guys have to go and make plays, and that’s what those guys show,” Moore said of Walker and Cooper.

In the draft class, 123 FBS-level linebackers played at least 450 defensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper ranked 58th with a missed-tackle rate of 12.8 percent (11 misses). Against the run, he ranked 10th with 56 run stops (a “stop” is the same as a “win” by the Packers’ grading system). Against the pass, of the 135 linebackers who played at least 175 coverage snaps, he ranked 17th with 17.9 snaps per reception. He gave up a 101.0 rating. He used his athleticism to rank sixth in the class with 27 pressures.

“It’s very big,” Cooper said of his blitzing ability. “I feel like some teams don’t have second-level linebackers who are able to track down faster quarterbacks. I feel like that’s one good thing I bring to the table – being able to spy or rush the passer and get to the quarterback.”

As the numbers would suggest, Cooper’s athleticism shines against the pass and as a blitzer. As a run defender, he brings thump when he tackles.

“Cooper is an instinctive and explosive prospect who generates a bunch of splash plays,” . “He’s ready to start right away, and I believe his best football is still ahead of him.”

Cooper had a predraft visit with the Packers. His ability to learn the defense was a focal point of the visit, he said.

“When I went to go visit them, I felt a lot of energy from them, from the coaches, the love and support from them,” Cooper said. “I had an idea, you know, just talking to them. Sometimes you just know a person’s really interested in you. That’s the feeling that I got.”

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst / Photo by USA Today Sports Images

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