Over the following few months, we’ll be breaking down all the rookies added by the Jets through the draft and as undrafted free brokers. We proceed right this moment with offensive lineman Anez Cooper.
The 22-year previous Cooper is listed at 6’5” and 334 kilos and was a sixth spherical select of Miami. Cooper made 46 begins in 4 seasons with the Hurricanes and was a second-team all-ACC choice in 2025.
Cooper was a three-star highschool prospect who headed to Miami in 2022 however began off in a reserve function. He made his first begin in week 9 of his freshman season and in the end began 4 video games that 12 months.
Over the following three seasons, Cooper was a full-time starter, making 42 straight begins at proper guard. He was an all-ACC honorable point out in 2023 and 2024, after which earned all-ACC second workforce honors in 2025.
Having been invited to the scouting mix, Cooper was chosen by the Jets within the sixth spherical. He had been extensively projected as a late-round decide, however ESPN’s Matt Miller had him going within the early fourth in a seven-round mock final month.
Let’s transfer onto some extra in-depth evaluation of what Cooper brings to the desk, primarily based on in-depth analysis and movie research.
Cooper is very large, with excellent size, though he had points along with his weight previously, at one level being over 400 kilos. On the scouting mix, he weighed in at 334, which is 11 kilos below his listed weight.
He ran a 5.63 within the 40-yard sprint on the scouting mix, though the quicker of his two runs was 5.52. That’s not particuarly spectacular, even at that measurement, however he reveals some good motion abilities for somebody so large on movie.
He didn’t take part within the bench press on the mix or his professional day, however clearly shows good power and energy in his sport footage.
All 46 of Cooper’s profession begins got here at proper guard however he did see just a few snaps right here and there whereas aligned at left guard and proper sort out throughout his profession. Miami additionally experimented with some unbalanced line formations, through which he usually moved to the left aspect to line up outdoors the left sort out, so he could be comfy in a sixth lineman function for jumbo packages.
Cooper has some strong cross blocking numbers over the course of his profession, as he by no means gave up 20 pressures in a season. He additionally solely gave up one sack in 2025, though he had given up a complete of six over his first three seasons. It was uncommon that he was overwhelmed cleanly in a one-on-one matchup at Miami.
When he locks onto his man, Cooper anchors nicely and punches to extension. Nevertheless, when he confronted high defensive sort out prospects, his lack of lateral pace was uncovered and he struggled to remain in entrance of them at occasions.
Cooper’s run blocking has been strong over the course of his profession however he maybe doesn’t dominate as a lot as you’d anticipate for somebody along with his measurement. Nonetheless, his run blocking grade in 2025 based on evaluation web site Professional Soccer Focus, was the perfect of his profession and, as you’d anticipate, his power lies on the level of assault and in his energy.
The guide on Cooper is that he’s restricted by way of his means to get out on the transfer and make blocks in area and there are indicators of this at occasions.
Nevertheless, he will be efficient on the transfer a number of the time and has developed a capability to lock onto and drive his man again in area and to angle off his opponent.
As you’ll anticipate, Cooper gave the Hurricanes an enormous physique to run behind in brief yardage conditions and so they has some success doing this.
One sample with him, nevertheless, is that he will be initially stood up on the line till he features some traction to drive his man off his spot. That may imply he’s more practical in slower-developing runs than the sort of direct straight-ahead runs which might be often employed in brief yardage conditions.
Cooper will hustle to get out in entrance on display screen passes, though he doesn’t essentially have the perfect footspeed to excel at this. Nevertheless, he’s had some optimistic flashes on this space.
Cooper’s size and the ability of his preliminary punch offers him a very good basis to depend on in all conditions. On high of this, his higher physique power allows him to win leverage battles – or not less than it did on the faculty stage. He could not take pleasure in as a lot success in doing this on the NFL stage and will have to make use of higher footwork to provide himself a stronger platform to win these battles.
Once more, the guide on him is that he lacks knee bend which may have an effect on his pad stage and his anchor towards bull rushes. Nevertheless, his latest movie suggests he’s labored on and improved on this space.
He has good physique management and steadiness, however is much less comfy out in area and has points at occasions with reaching for his man relatively than shifting his ft to remain on high of him, each when run blocking and in cross safety.
Penalties weren’t an enormous drawback for Cooper, who averaged lower than one each two begins and ended up with 19 in his profession.
Nevertheless, he had eight in 2025, which was his highest whole for any season. Six of those had been false begins and the opposite two had been each holding penalties whereas cross defending.
Cooper’s solely function on particular groups in faculty was as a blocker on the placekicking unit. He had no points or penalties inside this function.
Cooper benefited from being on a line the place there weren’t many modifications so he was in a position to develop chemistry along with his linemates over the course of his profession. Nevertheless, his points in figuring out and adjusting to hurry video games are a priority. He will get this proper a number of the time, however at any time when he’s barely late to return off his main project, he doesn’t actually have the explosiveness to get better.
As well as, he was usually employed as a spare man and required to maintain his head on a swivel. In these conditions, he typically seemed confused as to the place to assist and was hesitant or late in getting over.
As famous, Cooper had six false begins final season, so focus can maybe be a problem.
Cooper is an enormous character, whose teammates have stated is a humorous man with a imply streak who performs with an edge and talks loads of trash. He was a quiet persona as a freshman however step by step got here out of his shell to turn into extra of a vocal chief and use his expertise to mentor a number of the youthful linemen on the workforce.
His aggressive streak reveals up on movie, as he finishes his blocks and hustles after downfield carries. Nevertheless, you’d usually anticipate a man with this type of nasty streak to have some highlights of lighting opposing cross rushers up as he goes “looking for work” however this wasn’t one thing that was obvious.
In his movie, there are a combination of performs the place he hustles to the whistle and ones the place he’ll perform his preliminary project after which is caught standing round when the play lasts longer than anticipated. This might simply be as a result of he lacked the conditioning to take care of these effort ranges, though in fact this can be much less of a problem if he can proceed to maintain his weight below management.
Cooper was largely unaffected by accidents in his faculty profession, as he performed 52 video games in 4 years, together with all 16 in 2025, which noticed him on the sphere for over 1,000 snaps for the primary time in his profession.
In 2024, he was knocked out of 1 sport with an ankle harm however confirmed toughness by being again within the line-up subsequent week.
Whereas Cooper was a key cog in a profitable unit at Miami, there’s a suggestion that he benefited from being in a system that helped to masks a few of his weaknesses. The Hurricanes performed with tight offensive line splits and had loads of fast passes and RPO-type performs to mitigate potential stress. Having a future top-10 decide in your outdoors shoulder in Sisi Mauigoa didn’t damage both.
The Jets are unlikely to have a system that works so nicely to make his life simpler, though they will make changes if he’s known as into motion earlier than he’s prepared.
He was a teammate of present Jets Tyler Baron and Kiko Mauigoa, and (for one season) his fellow draft decide Darrell Jackson Jr. at Miami.
If Cooper can hold his weight secure, keep wholesome and sharpen up a few of his technical flaws, the Jets can be hoping he has the potential to develop right into a future starter.
Within the quick time period, he has some good gamers forward of him that he can study from after which step into the line-up for in the event that they get damage. He can also see work as a sixth lineman in jumbo packages.
In the end, perhaps he received’t find yourself as a starter in any case however he might nonetheless show to be a worthwhile rotational choice to supply depth and be a dependable spot starter within the years forward.
There are undoubtedly loads of issues to love from his sport movie and a few obvious enhancements in his ultimate season, however the teaching workers could have their work reduce out to assist him show he ought to have been drafted sooner. He ought to be motivated to realize this, although.
