Eagles Put Texas A&M LB 'Through The Ringer' - Source
When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles and their obvious need at linebacker, the low-hanging fruit at the NFL Scouting Combine was Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
The star Clemson defender is the son of Eagles’ four-time Pro Bowl LB Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and visions of a second-generation “Axe Man,” are an obvious storyline for April’s draft.
While everyone with a Philadelphia background was zigging toward the younger Trotter on Wednesday in Indianapolis, the Eagles were zagging back toward Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper, the consensus top LB in the draft.
The Eagles first checked in with Cooper, 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds, at the East-West Shrine Bowl and amped that up at the combine where the All-American confirmed another meeting with Philadelphia.
Draft meetings are somewhat overrated because the vetting can lead in both positive and negative directions as the due diligence moves on.
An NFL source did confirm that the Philadelphia contingent put Cooper through the wringer a bit with some quick film work to see how he might pick up Vic Fangio’s somewhat complicated scheme.
Nakobe Dean could use some help at LB. John McMullen/Eagles Today
“It went extremely well,” Cooper said of his quick check-in with the Eagles. “Great coaches in there. … everyone is trying to get to know everyone and see the type of player I am and just going from there.”
Don’t be surprised to see Cooper on the Eagles’ top-30 visit list as the process intensifies.
The complications come in with Cooper’s status in the draft. Former Eagles’ scout and lead NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has ranked Cooper as the No. 1 LB in the draft class and the only one that could potentially push to be a first-round selection.
The complications are finding a path to Cooper in the process. The Eagles, of course, haven’t drafted an off-ball LB in the first round since Jerry Robinson in 1979 and the position has been devalued so much in recent years that it’s hard to imagine Howie Roseman using pick No. 22 on Cooper.
The Eagles are next up at Nos. 50 and 53 where Cooper should be off the board. The middle ground is using those two picks to move up if the interest in Cooper continues to blossom and he begins to fall a bit.
For what it’s worth, Cooper has held steady in Jeremiah’s early rankings as the 20th-best prospect in the draft before falling one slot to No. 21 in the 2.0 version of the top players.
“Cooper is an instinctive and explosive prospect who generates a bunch of splash plays,” Jeremiah assessed. “He’s ready to start right away, and I believe his best football is still ahead of him.”
Cooper explained that he wants to marry the physicality of Hall of Famer Ray Lewis with the movement skills of San Francisco All-Pro Fred Warner.
“I feel like those guys have similar body types and I just like to watch how [Warner] moves and gets off blocks and just try to pick up little things like that,” Cooper said.
The Eagles’ LB play has spiked at times in recent seasons but it’s been a long time since the organization has had a do-it-all type and Cooper has the physical gifts to rush the passer and handle the best tight ends in coverage to go along with stacked run support.
“Just speed, being able to react,” Cooper said when talking about his skill set. “Guarding fast tight ends, bringing pressure to the QBs. All those little things that can be used in all types of ways.”