Jonathan Cooper facts for kids
Cooper with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014
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| No. 61, 64, 72 | |||||
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| Position: | Guard | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | January 19, 1990 Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | John T. Hoggard (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
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| College: | North Carolina (2008–2012) | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is a former professional football player. He played as a guard in the National Football League (NFL). The Arizona Cardinals picked him seventh overall in the 2013 NFL draft. Before that, he played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels. There, he earned All-American honors, meaning he was recognized as one of the best players in the country. He also played for other NFL teams like the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Oakland Raiders.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Jonathan Cooper was born on January 19, 1990, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He went to John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington. While there, he was a talented athlete, playing football, wrestling, and competing in track and field.
In football, he played as a guard, which is an offensive lineman who blocks for his teammates. He also sometimes played as a defensive end. In his final year of high school, his team, Hoggard, had a perfect 16–0 record and won the state 4-A championship. Cooper was a key part of their success, helping three players rush for over 600 yards each. He was even named the conference's player of the year as an offensive lineman.
Beyond football, Cooper was a strong heavyweight wrestler. He also threw the shot put for the track and field team. His best throw was 14.58 meters (about 47 feet, 2 inches). Experts like Rivals.com thought highly of him, ranking him as one of the top offensive guard prospects in his class.
College Football Career
Jonathan Cooper received a football scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Freshman Year (2009)
As a redshirt freshman, Cooper started 10 games as a left guard. A "redshirt" year means a player practices with the team but doesn't play in games, saving a year of eligibility. He played in 579 snaps, which are individual plays in a game. He missed a few games due to an ankle injury. Even so, he led his team with 40 "knock-down blocks," which are blocks that knock an opponent to the ground. He was named to The Sporting News' All-ACC freshman team.
Sophomore Year (2010)
In his sophomore year, Cooper started all 13 regular season games. He played a team-high 875 snaps. For the second year in a row, he led the Tar Heels in knock-down blocks with 55. He earned second-team All-ACC honors, showing he was one of the best guards in his conference.
Junior Year (2011)
As a junior, Cooper started all 13 games at left guard again. He played in 864 plays and continued to perform well. He earned second-team All-ACC honors for the second time. He and his teammate, James Hurst, were the first offensive line duo from Carolina to get All-ACC honors since 1993.
Senior Year (2012)
In his senior year, Cooper started all 12 games. He helped his teammate, Giovani Bernard, become the leading rusher in the ACC. Cooper was chosen as a consensus All-American, meaning he was recognized by multiple groups as one of the best college football players in the nation. He also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the best offensive lineman in the ACC. He finished his college career with a school record of 48 starts.
Professional Football Career
NFL Draft and Arizona Cardinals (2013–2015)
Before the 2013 NFL draft, many experts thought Cooper was one of the best guard prospects. Sports Illustrated even predicted he would be picked among the top 10 players. The Arizona Cardinals selected him seventh overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. This made him the highest-picked offensive guard since 1986.
On July 28, 2013, Cooper signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals. He was expected to be the starting left guard. However, during a preseason game on August 24, he broke his left fibula (a bone in his lower leg). This injury put him on the injured reserve list, meaning he couldn't play for the season. Some people believe he was never quite the same player after this injury.
In 2014, he was named the starting left guard again. However, he struggled with injuries, including a turf toe and knee problems. He finally made his first career start in Week 14. But in the next game, he injured his left wrist. He missed the last two regular season games and the playoffs.
In 2015, Cooper moved to the right guard position. He suffered another knee injury in Week 10. This injury caused him to miss two games, and he returned as a backup for the rest of the season. The Cardinals had plans to move him to center in 2016.
New England Patriots (2016)
On March 15, 2016, Cooper was traded to the New England Patriots. He started training camp as a right guard, but a foot injury sidelined him. This allowed other players to take his spot. He was released by the Patriots on October 8.
Cleveland Browns (2016)
The Cleveland Browns picked up Cooper on October 10, 2016. He was inactive for five games before becoming the starting right guard in Week 14. He started three of the five games he played for the Browns. On December 27, he was waived by the team.
Dallas Cowboys (2017)
On January 4, 2017, the Dallas Cowboys signed Cooper. They were interested in him since the 2013 NFL Draft and wanted to see him play.
On March 14, 2017, Cooper signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys. He competed for the vacant left guard position. He was inactive for the first three games of the season. However, he became the starting left guard in the fourth game and helped stabilize the team's offensive line. He started a career-high 13 games that season. In the final game, he suffered a sprained left medial collateral ligament (MCL), which is a knee injury.
San Francisco 49ers (2018)
On March 20, 2018, Cooper signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. During training camp, his surgically repaired left knee limited him. He was competing for a starting spot but was released on September 1.
Washington Redskins (2018)
On November 5, 2018, the Washington Redskins signed Cooper. This happened after several of their starting offensive linemen got injured. He made his first start for the Redskins on November 11, 2018, playing left guard. However, in a game on December 3, Cooper tore his bicep muscle, which ended his season. He was placed on the injured reserve list on December 4.
Oakland Raiders (2019)
On July 15, 2019, Cooper signed with the Oakland Raiders. He was inactive for the first two games of the season and was released on September 17.
Images for kids
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Cooper with the Arizona Cardinals in 2014
