The Pittsburgh Steelers are doing their due diligence on the inside linebacker position at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
So far, the Steelers have had a formal meeting with Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Michigan’s Junior Colson and Ohio State’s Tommy Eichenberg. Turns out, they had one with Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, too.
According to Steelers Depot’s Jonathan Heitritter, who is in Indianapolis for the Combine, Cooper stated during his media session that he had a formal meeting with the Steelers.
Cooper is one of the top linebackers in the draft and a player the Steelers have had their eyes on dating back to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas. There, Steelers Depot reported that the Steelers were “very interested” in Cooper.
“You know, they’re very interested. Yeah, I can’t reveal much, but they’re definitely interested,” Cooper said to Steelers Depot during the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Cooper, a first-team All-American in 2023, checked in at the Shrine Bowl at 6020, 227 pounds. In 2023, Cooper recorded 83 tackles (17 for loss), 8.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Though he wasn’t healthy enough to go through practices and participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl, Cooper’s tape at A&M over the last few seasons is rather eye-opening. In his four years in College Station, Cooper recorded 204 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
He fits the mold of the true, new-age off-ball NFL linebacker with good size, great length, elite-level speed and the ability to either rush the passer or drop into coverage as a true chess piece defensively.
Here’s what I had to say about Cooper in my scouting report of him for Steelers Depot:
“Overall, there is so much to love about Edgerrin Cooper. He has great athleticism, is a twitched-up linebacker with terrific length, and has the production in the SEC to back up the pre-draft hype. He’s a perfect fit for that new-age, three-down linebacker in the NFL, one that can thrive against the run, handle coverage duties, and give defenses an answer in sub-package football.
“He’s going to test off the charts at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and is going to start seriously generating first-round buzz. The tape is very impressive, and his testing numbers are going to be absurd. He’s the closest thing to Fred Warner we’ve seen in quite some time. When it comes to comparisons, though, he reminds me very much of Miami’s Jerome Baker, who has been very good since coming into the NFL in 2018 out of Ohio State.”
He’s going to have a big week in Indianapolis on the field. He should start generating first-round buzz. And if he does, it would not shock me if he’s in the first-round discussion at No. 20 overall for the Black and Gold.
