There is a lot of buzz within the Green Bay Packers circle about second year linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. He may not be a household name just yet, but multiple analysts believe he has an exceptional ceiling, even drawing comparison to one All-Pro star.
The Green Bay Packers drafted Edgerrin Cooper with the 45th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, with a vision to pair him with Quay Walker at the second level. Cooper didn’t start a game until Week 16 of his rookie season, but had fans pleading with the franchise to give him more playing time.
Edgerrin Cooper’s comparison to All-Pro linebacker and potential ceiling
Cooper featured in rotation in Week 1, when the Packers played the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. He made a crucial mistake in that game by lining up in the wrong gap, which led to a breakaway touchdown for Saquon Barkley. It was his first NFL action, he was a rookie, and he learned quickly that the NFL is a different beast.
As the season went on, he got better and better, starting to see semi-regular snaps from Week 7 onwards. He was then sidelined with a hamstring injury for multiple weeks, but when he returned, it was his time to make his mark on the starting lineup.
Cooper started the final four games of the Green Bay Packers season, including the playoff loss to the Eagles. He was phenomenal in Week 17 on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, proving to the coaching staff that he deserved his spot on the field.
Going into his second season, many believe Cooper will take the biggest jump of any player on the Packers roster. The former Texas A&M linebacker showed he could do it all in year one, with 56 tackles and four sacks to his name despite limited playing time.
On the Locked on Packers podcast, well-known team analyst Peter Bukowski had some eye opening notes on the rising star:
“Edgerrin Cooper is in historic territory with what he did (in 2024), and the fact that he did it with limited snaps, talking about a player who only played 55% of snaps last year. Only started four games, only played in fourteen regular season games. There are only three to five off ball linebackers who can truly, I mean truly, tilt the field. Edgerrin Cooper can be one of those three.”
Bukowski then went on to compare him to Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers, and while he said Cooper might not overtake Warner this season, he does believe in the potential to do so in the future.”
The Locked on Packers host isn’t alone in his projection either. Andy Herman, who hosts the Pack-A-Day podcast and the Pack-A-Day radio show on The Fan Milwaukee, also believes Cooper could be among the league’s best very soon.
“To me, the ceiling for Edgerrin Cooper, is somebody who can be the best off-ball linebacker in all of football. I don’t know that that’s going to happen this year, but we saw at the end of last year that he was playing at that level.”
There are elements that Cooper needs to clear up, referred to by Herman as ‘rookie moments’, but his ceiling could see him reach the league’s elite at the position.
Green Bay Packers defense poised for even bigger season in 2025
Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley made a statement when he was hired in 2024, claiming he wanted to lead the league in taking the ball away. The former Boston College head coach almost delivered on that promise too, with the Packers finishing sixth in forced turnovers, averaging 1.7 per game.
Safety Xavier McKinney was second in the NFL in interceptions, totaling eight on the season, with five in the first five games of the year.
Cooper and Quay Walker should form one of the best young linebacker duos in the league, and there are potential breakout stars in the unit including cornerback Carrington Valentine and nickel/safety Javon Bullard.
Hafley helped the Packers to become a top five defense in his first year as defensive coordinator, and the group could improve even further in 2025.
