With off-season moves, such as free agency and the draft, complete and rosters beginning to take shape, it’s time to examine which IDP rookies could make an immediate impact closely. Which teams are going to jump-start the clock and roll with rookies? One team that likely will be starting an IDP rookie is the Green Bay Packers with ILB Edgerrin Cooper.
Rewind to the Past
Edgerrin Cooper played his college career for the Texas A&M Aggies where he was named to the All-SEC and All-American 1st teams. During his time with the Aggies, he played in 35 games, making 21 starts while recording 204 total tackles, 111 solo stops, a 54.4% solo rate, 30½ TFLs, 8½ sacks, two interceptions, 10 PBUs, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Cooper had quite the junior season in 2023, as he led the Aggies with 84 total tackles while leading the NCAA in TFLs (17) and was 5th in the SEC in sacks (8). He would enter the draft with two years of eligibility left and be selected in the 2nd round with the 45th overall pick and the first true inside linebacker off the board.
Back to the Future
The Green Bay Packers let starter De’Vondre Campbell, who had some issues staying healthy the past couple of seasons, leave in free agency. With the move, it left a void next to star linebacker Quay Walker that needed to be filled. Cooper is very similar to Campbell in both his size and on-field abilities, but Cooper comes with a much more team-friendly contract. The Packers do have Isaiah McDuffie, who filled in admirably when Campbell was out. While McDuffie is a solid player and will be a vital piece for this team, he doesn’t have the skillset of Cooper. Ourlads.com has Cooper listed as the starter next to Walker and the Packers run a lot of two LB sets defensively, so this is a big opportunity for Cooper. With those two as starters, that gives the Packers a solid second unit with McDuffie and another rookie, Ty’Ron Hopper.
Fantasy Breakdown
In the world of IDP, no matter the format or scoring, the linebacker position is King! With that in mind, Cooper should be at the top of your IDP rookie wishlists. If you’re gonna draft Cooper, expect to take him somewhere starting around the second round of rookie drafts. In my ADP IDP rookie draft spreadsheet, he is being selected at an average pick of 23.9 and is the top overall IDP rookie off the board in most cases. If you are in the market for a linebacker with starting volume opportunities, you will need to plan accordingly. There are some instances of him going very early in the second round and that’s about where you should begin to have him on your draft lists.
What you will be getting is a player at a premium position that can produce premium numbers for your fantasy teams. The starting job won’t just be handed to him, as he’ll have to beat out McDuffie who has the experience advantage at this level. Even if that’s the case, It shouldn’t take Cooper very long to surpass McDuffie once training camps get going. Barring something unseen, I fully expect Cooper to be the starter for game one. This will be the first initial public offering (IPO) of Cooper’s stock at the pro level and based on his current ADP you are getting a great initial investment in a player that can provide a potentially high return. If you’re in the market for an IDP in this year's rookie drafts, make sure Cooper is a stock that you’re adding to your IDP portfolios.
All stats provided by Pro Football Reference
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
