His athleticism and explosiveness, plus his versatility, have made him an important asset for Green Bay’s stop unit, which gave up just 20.0 points per game in 2024. In his rookie season, the former Texas A&M Aggies star had 3.5 sacks and 87 combined tackles. Additionally, Cooper had four passes defended and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Green Bay Packers’ Cooper named to All-Under-25 team before 2025 NFL season
Only 23 years old (will turn 24 in November), Cooper has a huge ceiling for improvement. Given that he missed plenty of games in 2024 and still turned heads and impressed the Packers, experts and fans with his play speaks a lot about how big of a threat he can become to opposing offenses in 2025.
Over at NFL.com, Cooper is among the many young weapons in the league named to the All-Under-25 squad along with the likes of Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders and Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams.
Hip and hamstring injuries kept Cooper from hitting the ground running as a rookie, but he eventually confirmed the hints on his college tape that suggested he was one of the most pro-ready defenders in the class. The former second-rounder racked up 87 tackles and 3.5 sacks while showing off rocket-like speed, starting the final three regular-season games for the Packers, and the folks at PFF noticed, handing Cooper the fifth-best defensive grade among all linebackers in 2024. Green Bay coaches have high expectations for the second-year pro with “superstar potential” (per Matt LaFleur) who “knows what he has to do now to stay healthy” and is “locked in and … focused” (per Jeff Hafley).
