Rookie Texas A&M football player predicted for meteoric rise as NFL sophomore

Edgerrin Cooper was a huge bright spot for Texas A&M football in the 2023 season. Despite the Aggies exiting the year with a measly 7-6 record, which included a loss to Oklahoma State with only about half the roster available after portal entries and injuries, Cooper's high-level play was enough to get him all the way up to a second-round draft selection by the Green Bay Packers.

Since arriving there, things were slow going at first for Coop. He didn't see a lot of playing time early on in the year, but near the end of the season, he became one of the dependable, go-to players on Green Bay's defense.

That stretch of eyebrow-raising play from Cooper caught a lot of attention from around the league, and it has positioned him for a breakout year two up in Wisconsin. It has fans of the Pack and aficionados from every franchise's fanbase asking the same question: just how high can Cooper rise?

Former Texas A&M football LB Edgerrin Cooper will make massive strides in second NFL year

Don't be surprised to see Cooper make his way onto some awards list by the end of next season: the impression he made by year's end in 2024 nearly got him there as a rookie.

Double-digit is one thing, but Cooper has the bona fides to make his way onto the list in earnest. His sideline-to-sideline speed, his sure tackling, and his pass rush ability make him a formidable foe, and the kind of intimidating player the Packers can build their defense around in this new era.

We very well could be looking back at Edgerrin's draft years down the road and laughing that he was selected so low— I'd bet that several in the Green Bay front office already feel like he was a steal where he got drafted. The Aggies have a history of putting defensive centerpieces into the NFL over the last decade and a half, and Cooper may be the next one to gain that status when all is said and done.