Robert Cooper, IDL Florida State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Cooper was a four-star recruit from South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga. in the class of 2018

The Florida State Seminoles have several intriguing prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft along their interior defensive line. Today, we’ll dive into interior defensive lineman Robert Cooper’s full prospect profile.

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Robert Cooper, IDL Florida State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive tackle and nose tackle from Lilburn, Ga.

Background: Cooper was a four-star recruit from South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 117 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 161 for Rivals, and No. 117 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 92nd in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, Cooper amassed 42 tackles, including eight for loss, and two sacks. As a junior, he totaled 54 tackles, including 16.0 for loss, and four sacks. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Sportswriters Association named Cooper First-Team All-State. He was an Under Armour All-American. Cooper chose Florida State over offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

2021 Production: 12 games, 39 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 26 pressures, 0.5 sack,1 pass defensed

2020 Production: 8 games, 15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 pressures, 1 pass defensed

2019 Production: 13 games, 40 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 11 pressures, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed

2018 Production: 11 games, 10 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, 3 pressures

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed part of the game against North Carolina State (2022) with an upper-body injury

Awards: 2019-20 Sun Bowl Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman Award, 2021 Honorable Mention All-ACC

Pros: Missed tackles are rare, surprising quickness for a player his size, plays with natural leverage, thick and strong throughout his frame, stout anchor to maintain gap integrity, explosive off the line of scrimmage, uses a spin move to create separation and reposition himself, flows down the line of scrimmage to the football, multiple examples of using power to walk back linemen or toss them, surprising ability to get skinny and shoot gaps, good use of hand swipes, quick and powerful hands, tracks the running back well and takes effective angles, good agility for his size, eats double teams better than most, strength to toss linemen, eyes track the running back at a high level

Cons: Committed eight penalties in 2019 and four in 2021, only significant special teams experience in recent years is on the field goal block unit, doesn’t play a position with a high volume of snaps, arms might be shorter than ideal, doesn’t get his arms up for PBUs, pocket pusher instead of pocket collapser, hands need to be more active, lacks counters once his initial burst fades, spin move doesn’t help him progress toward the quarterback, allows linemen into his pads too often, late to activate hands, power is good but not overwhelming

Overview: Cooper is unofficially listed at 6'2", 335 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 10.79% of his pass rush attempts in 2021, but his pressure rate is below 3.0% this season. Cooper primarily plays the interior roles from 3-tech to 1-tech for Florida State. He is thick and powerful throughout his frame, which helps clog gaps and eliminate rushing lanes. Cooper displays a stout anchor to maintain gap integrity, even when challenged with double teams. He fires off the line with surprising explosiveness for his size, and his short-area agility and quickness are also impressive. The former four-star recruit plays with natural leverage. He excels at tracking the running back with his eyes and flowing down the line of scrimmage to the football. There are multiple examples of Cooper using his power to toss linemen or walk them back into the quarterback’s lap. He uses a spin move to create separation and reposition himself, but it rarely creates an advantage for him as a pass rusher. Cooper will sometimes pair his explosiveness with his surprising ability to get skinny and shoot gaps. He makes good use of hand swipes, but his hands lack refined, planned counters. While his hands are quick and powerful, the redshirt senior doesn’t deploy them frequently enough. He’s too inclined to fire into the offensive lineman and maintain contact rather than create separation or attack the lineman’s hands. Cooper has a history of committing penalties, including eight in 2019 and four in 2021. His only significant recent special teams experience is on the field goal block unit. Cooper’s arm length might raise some concerns as he struggles to generate separation from offensive linemen. He doesn’t get his arms up for pass breakups. Cooper is a pocket pusher instead of a pocket collapser, and he lacks the refined moves and counters to consistently threaten the quarterback. His hands need to be more active and deploy earlier, especially as he tries to find a solution after his initial burst fades. Cooper allows linemen into his pads too often. While he flashes good power, it’s not an overwhelming enough physical trait to make up for some of his technical flaws.

Overall, Cooper is a run-stuffing interior defensive lineman who will likely line up as a 2i or 1-tech at the NFL level, but he’ll only play on early downs considering his physical limitations and lack of development as a pass rusher. Cooper’s projected role is a niche position that plays a low volume of snaps and won’t fit every team’s scheme.

Role & Scheme Fit: Two-down 2i or 1-tech nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Late Sixth to UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 10-25-22