Scout Reveals Where Packers Edgerrin Cooper Needs to Improve

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. A second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, Cooper addresses a major need for the team’s defense.

With Jeff Hafley taking over for Joe Barry, they will look vastly different. Barry ran a 3-4 base, while Hafley will run a 4-3. That made finding traditional linebackers a priority this offseason and the Packers came away with an elite one in Edgerrin Cooper.

In this year’s class, many evaluators and draft analysts had the Texas A&M product as the No. 1 rated linebacker. With teams devaluing the position around the league, it presented Green Bay with a chance to not only fill a need but do so by finding incredible value.

Edgerrin Cooper has a chance to be an every-down player out of the gate for the Packers. Hafley is excited about the speed and athleticism he will bring to the mix, as getting faster was a priority for the team this offseason.

While the tools are there for the No. 45 pick to succeed right away, some areas of his game need improving. According to Matt Holder of Bleacher Report, Cooper’s performance in the run game will need some work.

“As a run defender, Cooper reads gap runs quickly and can beat offensive linemen to the spot. However, when he can’t use his movement skills to slip blocks, he’s too wiry to hold his ground and will get pushed out of the gap. He needs to add size and strength to be effective on early downs in the NFL.”

Luckily for the Packers, that is a weakness that they can easily help turn around. It isn’t a skill issue when it comes to Edgerrin Cooper; he just has to continue rounding out his body and get stronger. A few months with the team’s strength and conditioning team and he will be good to go.

The combination of Cooper and Quay Walker can be a very successful one for the Packers. Both are sideline-to-sideline players with the ability to do several different things on the field. If they can show improvement as run defenders, it will help take this unit to another level.

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