Anez
Cooper.
Anez
Cooper.
Miami· 6'4"· 322 lb
R6 · #188 · New York Jets"Dense, angry inside mover with three-year Power-Five starting résumé at RG; short-area drive game and finish tape carry him into a swing-guard NFL role."Pre-draft read
Operates as a right guard in a gap/zone hybrid scheme, primarily at RG, with occasional RT alignments in jumbo formations. He wins via short-area displacement, squatting his hips, delivering a powerful inside-hand punch, and sustaining blocks through the whistle on down blocks and duo concepts. His secondary strength is redirect quickness on second-level climbs against 4i/5T alignments, effectively closing angles on linebackers with a compact, choppy stride.
His pass sets feature patience and squareness, utilizing a two-hand catch. However, he leans and lunges on speed-to-power rushes. Stunt awareness is above average, expertly passing off games without compromising the C-gap. His athletic ceiling is average, securing wins via strain, precise hand placement, and good pad level, rather than expansive range.
Gap/duo power run game where his primary win is short-area displacement on down blocks, duo, and combo climbing angles to the second level.
Immediate backup at right guard with potential to develop into a spot starter through Year 1; his ceiling is a reliable downhill run blocker in a power/gap scheme.
Teams that prioritize quick-pulling or zone-reach guards in a wide zone system will find his value diminished.
Anez Cooper projects best as an interior lineman who can contribute through short-area power and displacement in a power run scheme.
Anez Cooper Miami Highlights
2024 Miami RG cut-ups showing pass pro vs Louisville and Florida State.
Miami OL Film Breakdown
Interior duo and gap concepts featuring Cooper at RG in 2024.
Anez Cooper vs Georgia
Toughest test on 2024 tape — pass pro reps vs UGA interior rush.
Anez Cooper projects as a scheme-fit interior lineman, offering a reliable backup floor and a path to spot-starter reps. Teams acquiring him are buying a sixth-year interior blocker known for his durability and technical proficiency, particularly in pass protection and gap schemes. His 33⅛" arm length points to an interior-only role, suggesting he fits best in a power-oriented run blocking scheme.
Cooper arrived at Miami as an FIU transfer in 2023, establishing himself as the Hurricanes' starting right guard and maintaining that role through his final three collegiate seasons. He started 34 consecutive games at Miami and 20 at FIU. He was recognized as one of the ACC's top-15 pass-protecting guards among Power 4 conferences in 2024 by PFF, allowing only 2 sacks on over 430 pass-pro snaps.
The primary evaluative concern surrounding Cooper centered on his change-of-direction ability against wider defensive fronts and his recovery when late in his set. Consensus projected him as a Day 3 selection, valuing his technical skill and experience over elite athleticism. The Jets ultimately selected him in the sixth round at pick 188, envisioning him as an interior-only project to develop behind their incumbent guards.
- 01
Independent Hands
Utilizes independent hands with a violent inside strike, locking out on down blocks and riding defenders past the point of attack with balance.
- 02
Hip Squat on Combo Blocks
Squats hips on combo blocks and climbs to the linebacker level with balanced angles, demonstrating ability to finish 3-4 nose tackles.
- 03
Pass Protection Strength
Consistently sinks his weight, resetting base against long-arm rushers; allowed only 2 sacks on over 430 pass-pro snaps in 2024.
- 04
Stunt Awareness
Rarely caught out of position, effectively passing off T-E and E-T games with the center while maintaining a square pocket in the B-gap.
- 05
Durability and Availability
Started 34 consecutive games at Miami and 20 at FIU, never missing a game to injury in his final three seasons of eligibility.
- 01
Lacks Recovery Ability
Once beaten on the edge of his set, he tends to lunge and grab, with late hands against quick counter moves frequently resulting in losses.
- 02
Ineffective Wide Zone Blocking
Struggles to arc on wide zone reach blocks against 3T alignments, as his angles flatten, leading to washes rather than effective seals.
- 03
Limited Positional Versatility
His 33⅛" arm length limits him to an exclusive guard role, removing him from consideration for developmental swing tackle depth.
- 04
Vulnerable to Counter Moves
Rushers who effectively stack a long-arm into a counter can get him narrow and on his toes; he often catches instead of striking.
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FIU | 9 |
| 2022 | FIU | 11 |
| 2023 | Miami | 13 |
| 2024 | Miami | 13 |
| 2025 | Miami | 13 |
| Career | — | 59 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Scheme-diverse interior backup who spot-starts 6-10 games a year on a competent line.
Best-case is the mean, angry gap-scheme guard who lives on down blocks and duo finishes.
Practice-squad-to-active-roster shuttle guard who tops out as the primary interior reserve.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context Anez Cooper spent three seasons as an under-recruited FIU interior blocker before transferring to Miami in 2023, where he became one of the most durable and reliable guards in the ACC. His 55 career starts, plus captain status in 2025, gave evaluators a rare six-year sample of a Power-Five interior lineman with clean pass-pro grades and a real gap-scheme finish reel. The board consensus was a scheme-fit Day 3 pick with backup floor and spot-starter ceiling — average athlete, real technician, zero injury flags, questionable range against elite ACC fronts.
NFL fit — New York Jets The Jets took him at 188 to slot into an interior room fronted by Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson, with veteran Wes Schweitzer and Xavier Newman as the incumbent reserves he needs to beat out. Cooper's duo and gap fit is clean for what the offensive and defensive system want to build up front — a north-south run game that stresses centers and 3-techs — and his pass-pro anchor gives them a competent emergency starter if AVT misses time again. He is unlikely to see a helmet on opening day but has a plausible active-roster path by midseason and a legitimate 2027 push at the swing-guard job.
Retrospective Too early to grade, but the evaluation call is coherent: a scheme-diverse, mentally ready interior backup whose ceiling is the sixth guard on a competent line and whose floor is a career practice-squad body. If Cooper hits the "likely" comp band (Nate Herbig arc), the Jets got fair value for a pick that historically returns very little. If the arm length and recovery athleticism cap him below that, he is exactly the kind of pick that never sees a regular-season snap.