Xavier Cooper, defensive lineman, Cleveland Browns
Cooper looked explosive in his Week 2 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills where he registered two tackles and a pair of sacks. Due to such an excellent performance it’s easy for the Browns to remain excited about their nearly 300-pound third-round draft pick:
“The thing that we noticed on the college tape was he had the most explosive get-off of any of the D-linemen that we evaluated,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said (via the team’s official website). ” … He has a great knack and a feel for that first step and that get-off.”
If Cooper puts up another hearty performance on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it could be enough to earn him some starting time once the regular season begins.
Pettine recently indicated that Cooper is well ahead of where a “typical rookie would be” at this time. He has already racked up three sacks to lead the team and is the highest-rated pass-rusher per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) on the team’s roster this summer as well.
He’s almost surely going to hit the field with the starting unit as a pass-rusher in obvious passing situations this season and could force his way onto base defenses with continued strong play.