Edgerrin Cooper 40 time: What did he run at NFL Combine?

Edgerrin Cooper 40 time: Aggie LB notches impressive mark at the NFL combine

One of the bright spots of the 2023 season for Texas A&M football was the strong play at the linebacker position. After years of middling to bad play in the middle of the defense, the arrival of Taurean York, and especially the emergence of Edgerrin Cooper as a consistent force to be reckoned with, buoyed the Aggie defense many times in 2023.

Cooper’s play was a very welcome sight to Aggie fans. His potential had excited the Maroon and White faithful since the moment he stepped on campus; not often in recent memory had the Aggies signed a guy at the position with such raw athletic talent and solid measurables. While players like Otaro Alaka, Buddy Johnson, and Aaron Hansford played well for A&M, Cooper had the ceiling to take the position to another level.

It wasn’t until this previous season that he was able to put it all together, however. Whether it was simply maturing, now in his fourth year on campus, or the positional coaching of DJ Durkin, who oversaw linebackers last year, Cooper had a breakout year.

As he continued to play well and consistently, Aggie fans began to wonder if he wouldn’t be the first A&M player off the board for the draft. As big boards and evaluations began to trickle out, it seemed as though that suspicion proved to be well-founded.

After such a great season, Cooper landed himself high up on the big boards of many draft experts. As such, he was a prospect that teams were watching closely coming into the NFL combine to see how he would test out.

The headline-grabber from this event, of course, is the 40 time. Those who have watched Cooper know that he possesses explosive athleticism and high-end top speed, so there was an expectation that he would have a strong performance in this event.

I’m not sure even Aggie fans thought he would do this well, however. Cooper notched an unofficial 40 time of 4.52 seconds on his first try—that is blazing fast. It would later be officially measured at 4.51 seconds.

For comparison, that is the fourth-fastest time among all linebackers, including several players who are first-round edge rushing talents. In other words, Cooper made himself some serious money with this 40 time at the NFL combine.

With this, and the rest of the hype building around him, don’t be surprised if Coop slips into the first round. There are several teams in need of a guy with his talent and skill set that pick in that late-first range—including one well-known in-state franchise.