Facebook with Latestnigeriannews  Twieet with latestnigeriannews  RSS Page Feed
Home  |  All Headlines  |  Punch  |  Thisday  |  Daily Sun  |  Vanguard   |  Guardian  |  The Nation  |  Daily Times  |  Daily Trust  |  Daily Independent
World  |  Sports  |  Technology  |  Entertainment  |  Business  |  Politics  |  Tribune  |  Leadership  |  National Mirror  |  BusinessDay  |  More Channels...

Viewing Mode:

Archive:

  1.     Tool Tips    
  2.    Collapsible   
  3.    Collapsed     
Click to view all Entertainment headlines today

Click to view all World headlines today

2015 NFL Draft: Washington State DT Xavier Cooper Well Worth an Early-Round Pick

Published by Bleacher Report on Sun, 19 Apr 2015


A team looking to add a penetrator to its interior defensive line through the 2015 NFL draft should give serious consideration to selecting Xavier Cooper, the drafts most athletic defensive tackle, with its first- or second-round selection.No other interior defensive lineman in this years draft classnot even projected top-five overall pick Leonard Williams of USCis as athletic as Cooper.At the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine, Cooper ran a 4.86-second 40-yard dash, the fastest among defensive line participants who project to play an interior position on an NFL defense. His three-cone-drill time of 7.23 seconds was the second fastest among likely interior defensive linemen, behind Stanfords Henry Anderson, while his 4.37-second 20-yard shuttle was third best among projected interior linemen, behind Anderson and Iowas Louis Trinca-Pasat.That athleticism, and his ability to translate it to making an impact as a football player, regularly shows up on Coopers collegiate tape.Coopers play never drew much national attention in collegelargely because he played for a perennial loser, Washington State, known more for its statistically gaudy spread offense than its defensive talentbut he had good production. In three seasons for the Cougars, Cooper recorded 121 total tackles, 31.5 career tackles for loss and 13 sacksall solid numbers for a lineman who played primarily on the interior and often drew double-team blocks.Even with his excellent showing in Indianapolis, Cooper and his skill set have continued to fly under the radar in the weeks leading up to this years draft. NFL teams, though, should be well-aware of what Cooper can bring to the table and value him highly if looking for defenders who can create disruption in opposing backfields.Attributes to Wreak HavocThere arent many 293-pound men in the world who can move the way Cooper can. He has a combination of forward explosiveness and lateral agility that gives him the potential to emerge as a star playmaker for an NFL defensive line.Possessing excellent first-step quickness, Cooper can explode through a gap in a hurry when he times his jump off the snap correctly. His burst is evidenced by the following clip, from a game last year against national runner-up Oregon, in which Cooper (No. 96) blew by Ducks right guard Jake Pisarcik to rapidly take down quarterback Marcus Mariota for a sack.Cooper is able to combine his burst with quick side-to-side movements and a variety of hand skills that further enable his ability to beat blockers off the snap and achieve a lane to a quarterback or ball-carrier.Although Cooper can be regarded as undersized for a defensive tackle, at 63 and 293 pounds, he also shows the ability to convert his burst into power.While some might consider his height to be a disadvantage, as most NFL defensive tackles are 64 or taller, it can actually be an advantage for Cooper. He is often able to get leverage against taller blockers by getting his hands into his opponents chest and driving his man backward.All of these traits increase the likelihood that Cooper will develop into a productive interior pass-rusherand if so, a highly valuable playeron a next-level defensive line.Given that his pass-rushing potential is his strongest appeal, one might have liked to see Cooper notch a few more sacks in his collegiate career. That said, Coopers sacks only represent a fraction of his total pressures. According to College Football Focus Michael Mountford, Cooper had 20 total pressures in just 184 pass-rushing snaps in Washington States 10 games against Power Five opponents in 2014.With that being said, Cooper will need to work on improving his tackling if he is going to maximize his potential pass-rushing impact in the NFL.It is true, as NFL.coms Lance Zierlein noted in Coopers scouting report, that the defensive tackles limited length (31.5 arms) affects his ability to finish tackle opportunities. That, however, does not excuse all of Coopers missed sacks. The following play is one such example, on which Cooper made a great up-and-under move to get by Stanford right guard Johnny Caspersbut then allowed quarterback Kevin Hogan to slip right through his arms.Fortunately for Cooper, tackling is a skill that he should be able to shore up with tutelage from NFL coaches and an increase in practice time.The main reason why Cooper projects as an early-round pick is that he has physical gifts that cannot be taught. Perhaps the most impressive of those gifts is his ability to change directions in pursuit of plays.Beyond the aforementioned testing numbers, the area in which Cooper truly stood out at the NFL Scouting Combine was in the on-field change-of-direction drills, throughout which he showed movement skills more typical of a linebacker than a defensive tackle.Most defensive tackles, even in the NFL, will be seen needing to take short, choppy steps to redirect themselves toward plays that go away from them. Not Cooper. He is able to seamlessly change directions off one plant step, which keeps him in the mix to make plays that would be out of range for most interior defensive linemen.The following clip is a prime example of Cooper showing his change-of-direction ability, as well as his reactionary quickness, before chasing down screen passes thrown out toward the sidelines.Playing devils advocate, one might note that is rare for a defensive tackle to have to chase a play down to the sideline, and that is not what he will be regularly tasked with doing in the NFL. Nonetheless, it shows his range as a potential difference-makerrange that few players with his size and strength can deliver.No Pushover vs. the RunLargely because of his lack of size, you will see Coopers ability to be a three-down playerspecifically, in this case, meaning his ability to be a consistent NFL run-stoppercalled into question.To some extent, these questions are legitimate. It would help Cooper to bulk up a bit, if he has the frame to add good weight, and hes not a player who will often be seen overpowering blockers from the line of scrimmage.It would not be accurate, however, to suggest that Cooper should be a liability as a run defender only because he is a bit small for his position. Despite his limited measurables, Cooper has regularly demonstrated that he can compete for his ground against offensive linemen, even when he is double-teamed.Cooper exhibited his strength at the combine, where he put up 29 repetitions in the bench press. Granted, his short arms gave him an advantage in that competition, but as aforementioned, his frame can actually provide an advantage on the field as well, in regards to his ability to position himself for leverage against taller, longer blockers.At Washington State, Cooper was often used as an edge-setting defensive end against the run. Given his athletic gifts, Cooper could potentially be used in a similar capacity on an NFL defense. But he has enough history of playing well inside against the run to make one believe that he should be able to continue doing so as either a 3-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3 defensive front or as a 5-technique defensive end in a 3-4 defensive scheme.The biggest question with Coopers ability to play the run inside, in part because of the way he was used by Washington State, is his gap discipline.One mistake that Cooper made too often in college is that he would try to go around the outside of the offensive line to get into the backfield, rather than hold his ground inside, which would often leave a vacant running lane up the middle. At the next level, Coopers ability to win going around the outside will significantly decrease, and he will need to prove that he has the discipline and endurance to repeatedly take on blocks inside and keep holes closed.Where Cooper FitsAll in all, Cooper has the skill set to emerge as an every-down NFL defensive tackle. He needs some development, especially as a run defender, but there are no crippling flaws in his game that should stop him from success if he makes his best effort to improve.As Coopers value projects to be highest in pass-rushing situations, its very possible he could be drafted to play a situational role, in which he does not start in his teams base defense but comes off the bench to play in nickel packages.The good news for Cooper, as Optimum Scoutings Chris Kouffman noted on Twitter, is that one can still be very valuable in the modern NFL as a sub-package specialist, now that most teams use their nickel defenses in high frequency to combat pass-heavy offenses.Cooper projects best to playing in a one-gap schemespecifically, as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 frontin the NFL.Although he played primarily in a 3-4 front at Washington State, he does not project as a great fit for that scheme, especially one that requires its defensive linemen to handle two gap responsibilities at once. He has poor length for a 3-4 defensive end, while he lacks the sheer size and power to play a nose tackle in that front.The key with Cooper will be to put him in a position to do what he does best: penetrate interior gaps and utilize his athleticism in pursuit. A team that does that with Cooper will likely end up with a significant difference-maker on its defense.Coopers versatility and experience of playing outside as a defensive end, although he is less likely to see any considerable playing time at that position in the NFL, also bolsters his value, especially to 4-3 teams.Where Should Cooper Be Drafted'Ranked as the drafts 12th-best defensive lineman by Bleacher Reports Matt Miller, and as the drafts 10th-best defensive tackle and 80th-best overall prospect by CBSSports.com, Cooper is widely projected to be a Day 2 draft choice.Given his athletic ability and playmaking upside, Cooper really should not make it out of Round 2, which is probably the most likely round for him to end up in.According to Rana L. Cash of Sporting News, who also wrote about Cooper's journey of overcoming a learning disability in high school, Cooper has visited with the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, and he will also visit with the San Diego Chargers. Cooperhas also had private workouts with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, and he will have a private workout with the Atlanta Falcons, per Cash.The Falcons pick first of those teams in Round 2, with the No. 42 overall pick, and are directly followed by the Browns (No. 43) and Saints (No. 44). The Dolphins at No. 47 are followed by the Chargers at No. 48, while the Lions pick 54th, the Steelers pick 56th, and the Cowboys pick 60th.With so many teams showing at least some interest in Cooper, it's also plausible he could end up slotting into the late first round.His potential value as a penetrating defensive tackle is enough to justify him as a top-32 pick, especially for a team such as Detroit, which needs a replacement for free-agent departure Nick Fairley, or Dallas, which did not retain interior pass-rusher Henry Melton this offseason. The Lions hold the No. 23 overall pick in Round 1, while the Cowboys are set to pick 27th.For any team looking for its own version of Aaron Donald, a small but tremendously athletic defensive tackle whom the St. Louis Rams draftedin 2014 and was last seasons NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Cooper might be the closest a team can get in this years draft.Should Cooper slide into the late second round, or any further than that, he is likely to end up being a steal. His limited frame and his hot-and-cold collegiate play could push him down draft boards, but his movement skills are top-notch, and his best football could very well be in front of him.All NFL Scouting Combine results courtesy of NFL.com. All college stats courtesy of Washington States official athletics website unless otherwise noted.All GIFs were made at Gfycat using videos from Draft Breakdown.Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.Follow @Dan_Hope
Click here to read full news..

All Channels Nigerian Dailies: Punch  |  Vanguard   |  The Nation  |  Thisday  |  Daily Sun  |  Guardian  |  Daily Times  |  Daily Trust  |  Daily Independent  |   The Herald  |  Tribune  |  Leadership  |  National Mirror  |  BusinessDay  |  New Telegraph  |  Peoples Daily  |  Blueprint  |  Nigerian Pilot  |  Sahara Reporters  |  Premium Times  |  The Cable  |  PM News  |  APO Africa Newsroom

Categories Today: World  |  Sports  |  Technology  |  Entertainment  |  Business  |  Politics  |  Columns  |  All Headlines Today

Entertainment (Local): Linda Ikeji  |  Bella Naija  |  Tori  |  Pulse  |  The NET  |  DailyPost  |  Information Nigeria  |  Gistlover  |  Lailas Blog  |  Miss Petite  |  Olufamous  |  Stella Dimoko Korkus Blog  |  Ynaija  |  All Entertainment News Today

Entertainment (World): TMZ  |  Daily Mail  |  Huffington Post

Sports: Goal  |  African Football  |  Bleacher Report  |  FTBpro  |  Kickoff  |  All Sports Headlines Today

Business & Finance: Nairametrics  |  Nigerian Tenders  |  Business Insider  |  Forbes  |  Entrepreneur  |  The Economist  |  BusinessTech  |  Financial Watch  |  BusinessDay  |  All Business News Headlines Today

Technology (Local): Techpoint  |  TechMoran  |  TechCity  |  Innovation Village  |  IT News Africa  |  Technology Times  |  Technext  |  Techcabal  |  All Technology News Headlines Today

Technology (World): Techcrunch  |  Techmeme  |  Slashdot  |  Wired  |  Hackers News  |  Engadget  |  Pocket Lint  |  The Verge

International Networks:   |  CNN  |  BBC  |  Al Jazeera  |  Yahoo

Forum:   |  Nairaland  |  Naij

Other Links: Home   |  Nigerian Jobs