| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1998-10-13)October 13, 1998 (age 27) Santa Maria, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Atascadero (Atascadero, California) |
| College | Nevada (2017–2021) San Jose State (2022) |
| NFL draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
Elijah Stephen Cooks (born October 13, 1998) is an American professionalfootballwide receiver. He playedcollege football for theNevada Wolf Pack before transferring to theSan Jose State Spartans and was signed as anundrafted free agent by the Jaguars after the2023 NFL draft.
Born inSanta Maria, California, Cooks grew up there and initially attendedSt. Joseph High School, where he played football and basketball.[1][2] Midway through his tenth grade year, Cooks moved toAtascadero and transferred toAtascadero High School.[3]
As a senior at Atascadero in 2016, Cooks tallied 56 catches for 966 yards and 15 touchdowns, winning thePac 5 Offensive Player of the Year award.[4]
Cooks committed to play football for theUniversity of Nevada at Reno on February 1, 2017.[5] He chose Nevada overHawaii,Wyoming,Fresno State, and San Jose State, the team he later played for.[6]
In five seasons at Nevada from 2017 to 2021, Cooks had 115 receptions for 1,478 yards and 18 touchdowns.[1] Having played 35 games from 2017 to 2019, Cooks sat out all of 2020 due to a shoulder injury.[6][7] In 2021, Cooks played in three games before a season-ending injury.[6]
Cooks also briefly joined theNevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team in the2017–18 season as a temporary replacement for an injured player.[3] Cooks played four games, averaging one minute per game.[8]
After five years with Nevada, Cooks moved on toSan Jose State University as a graduate transfer.[9] It's at San Jose State where he had his most productive year, garnering selection to the first-team All-MW.[10]
| Season | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||
| Nevada Wolf Pack | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 11 | 22 | 348 | 15.8 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 40 | 1 | |||||
| 2019 | 13 | 76 | 926 | 12.2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2020 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 3 | 13 | 157 | 12.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| San Jose State Spartans | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 12 | 69 | 1076 | 15.6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Career | 42 | 184 | 2554 | 13.9 | 28 | 1 | 40 | 40.0 | 1 | |||||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+3⁄4 in (1.92 m) | 219 lb (99 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.51 s | 1.62 s | 2.65 s | 4.25 s | 7.10 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromPro Day[11] | ||||||||||||
After not being drafted in the2023 NFL draft, Cooks signed with theJacksonville Jaguars as anundrafted free agent on May 1, 2023.[12][13][14] On August 29, 2023, the Jaguars announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster.[15][16][17]
On August 27, 2024, Cooks was waived by the Jaguars and re-signed to the practice squad.[18][19]
On January 14, 2025, thePhiladelphia Eagles signed Cooks to the practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with Philadelphia on February 14.[21]
On August 26, 2025, Cooks was waived by the Eagles as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[22][23] He was released on September 8.[24]