 Cooper with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014 | |||||||
| No. 61, 64, 72 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1990-01-19)January 19, 1990 (age 35) Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | John T. Hoggard (Wilmington, North Carolina) | ||||||
| College: | North Carolina (2008–2012) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2013: 1st round, 7th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Jonathan Javell Cooper[1] (born January 19, 1990) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aguard in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theArizona Cardinals seventh overall in the2013 NFL draft. He playedcollege football for theNorth Carolina Tar Heels, where he earnedAll-American honors. He also spent time with theNew England Patriots,Cleveland Browns,Dallas Cowboys,San Francisco 49ers,Washington Redskins, andOakland Raiders.
Cooper was born on January 19, 1990.[1] A native ofWilmington, North Carolina, he attendedJohn T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, where he played football and competed inwrestling andtrack. He playedfootball as a guard, but also saw time atdefensive end.
In his senior year, he paved the way for three players who rushed for 600 yards or more, while Hoggard won the state 4-A championship with a 16–0 record. Cooper was voted the conference's player of the year as an offensive lineman.
In addition to football, he was a standoutheavyweight wrestler. He also competed in theshot put on thetrack & field team, recording a top-throw of 14.58 meters (47 ft 2 in) at the 2008 NCHSAA 4A East Regional, where he placed 3rd.[2]
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Cooper was listed as the No. 21 offensive guard prospect in his class.[3]
Cooper accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As aredshirt freshman, he started 10 games at left guard and saw action on 579 snaps. He sat out theConnecticut,Georgia Tech andVirginia games due to an ankle injury. Still, Cooper recorded a team-best 40 knock-down blocks on the season and owned a 73-percent grade. He was named to the All-ACC freshman team byThe Sporting News.[4]
As a sophomore, Cooper started all 13 games in the regular season and played a team-high 875 snaps. For the second straight year, he led the Tar Heels in knock-down blocks with 55 on the year. Cooper graded out at 83 percent for the season, tied withJames Hurst for the best mark on the team. AgainstWilliam & Mary, he played all 71 snaps and graded out at a season-best 92 percent with seven knock-downs. Cooper earned second-team All-ACC honors at offensive guard.[5]
As a junior, Cooper started all 13 games at left guard. He saw action on 864 plays and graded out at 86 percent for the season, good for second on the team. He earned second-team All-ACC honors, and along with left tackle James Hurst, was part of the first Carolina offensive line tandem to earn All-ACC honors since 1993.[6]
As a senior, he started all 12 games and paved the way for the ACC's leading rusherGiovani Bernard. He was a consensusAll-American selection and received theJacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the ACC. He finished his college career with a school record 48 starts.
Cooper was widely considered one of the top guard prospects in the2013 NFL draft, along withChance Warmack. After theNFL Combine,Sports Illustrated projected him as the No. 10 overall selection.[7] North Carolina had not seen one of their offensive lineman taken in the first round since tackleHarris Barton was selected in the first round with the 22nd overall pick by theSan Francisco 49ers in 1987.
| 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 ft2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 311 lb (141 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 5.07 s | 1.83 s | 2.91 s | 4.84 s | 7.78 s | 27 in (0.69 m) | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) | 35 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Cooper was selected in the first round with the seventh overall pick by theArizona Cardinals in the2013 NFL draft.[10] He was the highest selected offensive guard sinceJim Dombrowski in the1986 NFL draft. On July 28, 2013, Cooper was signed to a four-year, $14.55 million contract.[11] He was given the starting left guard position in OTAs. On August 24, in the third preseason game against theSan Diego Chargers, Cooper broke his left fibula. On August 30, the Cardinals placed him on theinjured reserve list. It has been speculated that he was never the same player following this injury.[12]
In 2014, he was named the starter at left guard even though he was slow to recover from his previous injury and battled through a turf toe and knee injury in training camp. The injuries forced the Cardinals to nameTed Larsen as the starter at left guard to begin the season. In week 14 against theKansas City Chiefs, an ankle injury to left guardPaul Fanaika opened the door for Cooper to have his first career start. He injured his left wrist in the next contest against theSt. Louis Rams. He was declared inactive in the last 2 regular season games and the playoffs.
In 2015, he was moved to the right guard starting position after the team signedAll-ProMike Iupati, but he suffered a knee injury against theSeattle Seahawks in Week 10. He was declared inactive in 2 games because of the injury and returned as a backup behind Larsen for the rest of the season. The Cardinals were planning to move Cooper to center during the 2016 offseason.[13]
On March 15, 2016, Cooper and a second-round draft pick (#61-Vonn Bell) were traded to theNew England Patriots in exchange fordefensive endChandler Jones.[14] Cooper was working as a starter at right guard into the third day of training camp, when he suffered a right foot injury that sidelined him, causing him to be passed on the depth chart at guard byShaq Mason and rookieTed Karras. He was declared inactive for the first four games of the season until being released on October 8.[15]
On October 10, 2016, Cooper was claimed off waivers by theCleveland Browns.[16] He was declared inactive in 5 games, until being named the starter at right guard against theCincinnati Bengals in week 14. He started three of the five games he played.
On December 27, Cooper was waived to make room for guardAlvin Bailey, who was being activated from a two-game suspension.[17]
On January 4, 2017, Cooper was signed by theDallas Cowboys to provide depth on theoffensive line for the playoffs and to evaluate his performance closely, as the Cowboys had been interested in Cooper since the2013 NFL draft.[18][19]
On March 14, 2017, Cooper signed a one-year contract with theDallas Cowboys to compete for the vacantleft guard job afterRonald Leary departed in free agency, withLa'el Collins additionally moving toright tackle.[20] He also was tried at center during Organized Team Activities. He was declared inactive for the first three games. He was named the starter at left guard in the fourth game against theLos Angeles Rams in place of an injuredChaz Green, helping to stabilize theoffensive line the rest of the season. He started a career-high 13 games, but suffered a sprained left medial collateral ligament in the season finale against thePhiladelphia Eagles.
On March 20, 2018, Cooper signed with theSan Francisco 49ers on a one-year deal.[21] In training camp, he was limited with his surgically repaired left knee, while competing for the right offensive guard starting position. He was passed on the depth chart byMike Person andJoshua Garnett.[22] He was released on September 1.[23]
On November 5, 2018, he was signed by theWashington Redskins, following season ending injuries to starting offensive linemenBrandon Scherff andShawn Lauvao.[24] He made his first start as a Redskin on November 11, 2018, playing left guard against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. In a game against thePhiladelphia Eagles on December 3, Cooper tore his bicep muscle, ending his season.[25] He was placed on theinjured reserve list on December 4.[26]
On July 15, 2019, Cooper signed with theOakland Raiders.[27] He was declared inactive in the first 2 games of the season. He was released on September 17.[28]
Media related toJonathan Cooper at Wikimedia Commons