FRISCO, Tx. — After dealing with a number of injuries at the inside linebacker position during the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves needing to address the position once again in the offseason in an effort to find that long-term answer.
Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper could be that guy.
One of the best off-ball linebackers in the country and in the 2024 NFL Draft, spoke with Steelers Depot at the East-West Shrine Bowl Saturday and stated that he not only met with the Steelers, but added that the franchise is “very interested” in a player of his skillset.
“You know, they’re very interested. Yeah, I can’t reveal much, but they’re definitely interested,” Cooper said to Steelers Depot.
Cooper, who was a First Team All-American at Texas A&M in 2023, checked in at the Shrine Bowl at 6020, 227 pounds. At A&M in the 2023 season, Cooper finished with 83 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Though he is not participating on the field in the East-West Shrine Bowl, Cooper is a popular player here in Dallas.
With his size and play style, Cooper could find himself off the board late on Day 1 or Early Day 2. The Steelers hold the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which might be a bit too early to take Cooper, but with two fourth-round draft picks and a real need for a high-end linebacker like Cooper off the ball in Pittsburgh, the Steelers could get aggressive and make a move to land the former 4-star recruit.
In his four-year career at A&M, Cooper recorded 204 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
As veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb recovers from a serious knee injury and Kwon Alexander was lost to a torn Achilles last season, the Steelers found themselves down to the bottom of the barrel at the position, leaning on a banged up Elandon Roberts to hold things together while guys like Mark Robinson, Myles Jack and Mykal Walker played key roles for the Steelers down the stretch.
Since the Steelers saw Ryan Shazier go down with the career-ending injury in 2019, the franchise has struggled to replace the athletic specimen, one that was the poster child for new-age linebackers that took the league by storm.
Pittsburgh thought it had that replacement in Devin Bush, but after a torn ACL in 2021, things went downhill for Bush in Pittsburgh. Now, the Steelers find themselves back at square one at the position.
Cooper could be that piece they’ve been searching for.
With great size and an attacking, downhill style of play that leads to some rather jaw-dropping plays on tape, Cooper could find himself coming off the board in the first or second round after it all came together in 2023.
“Just being fast and physical and explosive,” Cooper said of what clicked for him in his junior season. “I like how quickly I react to things. Once I see something, you know, I just pull the trigger.”
That’s quite clear on tape. Cooper is often one of the best — if not the best — athletes on the field at all times. That’s pretty remarkable for an off-ball linebacker, especially in the SEC.
Truthfully, Cooper is a unicorn at the position. He processes quickly and can thrive in the box, working through and around blockers to make plays against the run. He can handle running backs and tight ends in coverage, and has even had some strong reps against receivers in coverage, too. Then, there’s his pass rush abilities off the edge thanks to his speed and athleticism, which allows him to bend around the edge.
That versatility is something Cooper feels so strongly about when it comes to his game.
“That’s one of the best things about me that I’m so versatile, that I’m comfortable in any way you could use me so I can make plays, make impacts in anywhere, any position I’m in,” Cooper said of his skillset and what he can do on the field. “So I feel like that’s one of my best things about me.”
The versatility and rare athleticism for the position has Cooper on the map as arguably the top off-ball linebacker in the draft, and one of those guys that could be part of the next wave of great three-down linebackers, fitting into the same conversation with the likes of San Francisco’s Fred Warner, Cleveland’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Miami’s Jerome Baker, and more.
