Jonathon
Cooper.
Jonathon
Cooper.
Ohio St.· 6'2"· 253 lb· 4.69s 40
"A 6-foot-2, 253-lb Ohio State captain edge with an 8.99 RAS, a 2019 season-ending medical redshirt for a heart condition, and modest career sack production — a late Day 3 rotational OLB projection where the athletic testing and leadership were the argument."Pre-draft read
He functions as both a stand-up edge and a hand-in-the-dirt rusher, leveraging plus first-step burst, precise angles, and a developed pass-rush plan. He consistently times the snap, attacking the tackle's outside shoulder to force a deep set, then counters inside with a short-arm swat or cross-chop when the tackle over-sets. On the edge, he can dip and flatten to close on the quarterback once he clears the punch.
Against the run, he sets a strong outside shoulder and keeps his outside arm free, effectively compressing pullers on the front side. His length can limit him against longer, base-heavy linemen, who can stalemate him on down blocks. In coverage, he handles hook-to-curl assignments adequately on zone blitzes, demonstrating good short-area movement and mirror agility.
A hybrid 4-3 defense with principles of a wide-9 attacking front, that allows edges to play from both a two- and three-point stance.
As a rookie, he projects into a sub-package rotational pass-rusher role, specializing in obvious passing downs with a high ceiling to develop into a meaningful rush-specialist role and four-phase special teams contributor.
He would be wasted as a 3-4 two-gap defensive end or a hand-in-the-dirt 4-3 run-stuffing end expected to hold the point against double teams.
A 'tweener body type with edge-bending first-step twitch and a refined pass-rush plan from his college tape, he should be deployed as a designated pass-rusher in sub packages.
Jonathon Cooper | 2020 Highlights
Game film cut-up of Jonathon Cooper's Ohio St. tape.
Why the Broncos Drafted Him → Jonathan Cooper OSU Pro Day 2021 Highlights
Game film cut-up of Jonathon Cooper's Ohio St. tape.
OSU OLB Jonathon Cooper's College Highlights | 2021 NFL Draft
Game film cut-up of Jonathon Cooper's Ohio St. tape.
He projects as a versatile edge defender capable of contributing immediately on special teams and developing into a rotational pass rusher. A team would acquire a high-effort player with advanced technique for his draft position, evidenced by his elite short-area quickness translating to urgent play on tape.
He arrived at Ohio State as a five-star recruit and concluded his college career as a team captain, despite a medical redshirt year in 2019 due to a heart-related issue that impacted his production. His usage featured him as a reliable presence, though his career sack totals remained modest. While never a high-volume sack artist, he played a crucial role for a College Football Playoff finalist.
Evaluators noted his average length and bend as limiting factors for his ceiling, leading to a consensus projection between the sixth and seventh rounds. Despite these flags, his confirmed medical clearance, strong athletic testing — including an 8.99 RAS — and leadership qualities made him an attractive high-floor prospect for teams seeking a Day 3 contributor, and he was ultimately drafted with the 239th pick.
- 01
Plus First-Step Burst
He possesses plus first-step burst, consistently threatening the tackle's outside shoulder from the snap.
- 02
Developed Pass-Rush Plan
He utilizes a developed pass-rush plan, employing short-arm swats and cross-chops effectively.
- 03
Elite Short-Area Quickness
His elite short-area quickness and mirror agility translate to urgent play on tape in zone blitzes.
- 04
Team Captain
He concluded his college career as a team captain for a College Football Playoff finalist.
- 05
Special Teams Contributor
He projects as a versatile edge defender capable of contributing immediately on special teams.
- 01
Average Length
His average length can limit him against longer, base-heavy linemen, impacting run defense.
- 02
Modest Sack Production
His career sack totals remained modest, never developing into a high-volume sack artist.
- 03
Average Bend
His average bend is a limiting factor for his ceiling, impacting his ability to flatten to the quarterback.
- 04
Stalemated on Down Blocks
Against the run, he can be stalemated on down blocks when facing longer, base-heavy linemen.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.69sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 108inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.99sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.31sp50
- Bench
- 28repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ohio State | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Ohio State | 14 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Ohio State | 13 | 23 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Ohio State | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Ohio State | 8 | 24 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 45 | 74 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Undersized, high-effort OLB who carved out a starter-caliber rotational role thanks to burst, plan and special-teams equity.
Day 3 stand-up edge with a refined plan and elite work habits who compounded into a legitimate starter with double-digit sack ability.
Late-round athletic OLB whose short-area agility and coverage utility got him on the field even when pure sack production stayed modest.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Cooper was a five-star recruit from Gahanna Lincoln (Ohio) who committed to Ohio State and eventually captained a College Football Playoff finalist. His college career was defined more by leadership than by counting stats: a heart-related medical issue cost him most of 2019 and produced a redshirt, and his career sack total was modest for a five-year Buckeye edge. He measured in at 6-foot-2 and 253 pounds with only average length, but ran a 4.69 forty, jumped 33 inches vertical and 108-inch broad, and posted elite short-area splits (6.99 three-cone, 4.31 shuttle) for a 8.99 RAS. Board consensus put him in the sixth-to-seventh-round range as a stand-up rush OLB with clear special-teams equity, a refined pass-rush plan and clean medical rechecks.
NFL fit — Denver Broncos. Denver took him with the 239th pick as a developmental stand-up edge behind Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, and he immediately delivered on the special-teams profile. His 2022 breakout produced 5.0 sacks in a part-time role, and 2023 was a genuine starter-level year with 8.5 sacks, 65 tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles as he rose from rotational OLB to full-time starter. The Broncos rewarded him in 2024 with a multi-year extension worth roughly $60 million, cementing him as a core piece of the defensive front rather than a rotational Day 3 body.
Retrospective. This is a genuine value hit at pick 239 — a seventh-round edge who cleared four-phase special teams as a rookie, developed into a rotational rusher by year two, became a starter by year three, and earned starter money by year four. The traits scouts flagged (below-average length, average bend, modest college sacks) all showed up in the NFL as ceiling limits rather than deal-breakers, and the traits they praised (get-off, plan, leadership, testing) are exactly the ones that translated. Career tier lands at starter with a clear hit designation.