Packers Have Budding Superstar After Breakout Outing on SNF
The Green Bay Packers (10-4) are playing superb football as the regular season winds down. In Week 15, the Packers went on the road and took down the Seattle Seahawks 30-13 on Sunday Night Football.
They are firmly locked into a playoff spot, but now it's about the seeding. While the dominating win was great to see, the Packers have a budding star in the making with rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
Edgerrin Cooper is the Packers' Next Big Star
Cooper returned to action in Week 15 after missing three games with a hamstring injury. The Texas A&M product was playing well before the injury, but his performance in primetime put his name on the nationwide map.
Cooper was all over the field, racking up seven total tackles, one interception, one sack and two pass deflections. He finished with a career-high 93.8 PFF grade, which was also the highest for a Packer player in the past two seasons.
Edgerrin Cooper’s 93.8 PFF grade vs. the Seahawks is the highest single-game grade of any Packers player in the last two seasons (min. 10 snaps).
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) December 16, 2024
Cooper was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and was eased into playing time. He has played in over 60% of defensive snaps in five of his last six games. His stellar performance against the Seahawks happened in just 34 defensive snaps, showcasing the elite potential he has with an expanded role.
Fellow linebacker Quay Walker left the game with an ankle injury. We'll have to wait and see the severity of it but if Walker misses time, Cooper can step right in.
This season, the 23-year-old has 59 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Per PFF, he has a 77 overall grade (15th out of 177 LBs), 89.8 pass-rush grade (2nd out of 177 LBs), and 76.9 coverage grade (9th out of 177 LBs) in 2024.
Cooper is passing the eye test with flying colors and the statistics back it up. His teammates see the sky-high potential in him and expressed that after the win. Defensive end Kingsley Enagbare said, "He's special, man. Definitely I feel like he's a future Hall of Famer. From the stat line, you can see he can do everything -- make tackles, make the interceptions, get the sacks. There's literally nothing he's physically not able to do."
Cooper's athleticism and natural instincts are elite. He's consistently racking up excellent performances, and his outing in Week 15 was top-notch.
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