Ohio State edge Jonathon Cooper (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Denver Broncos draft pick Jonathon Cooper picked the best way to celebrate his seventh-round selection, playing backyard football with neighborhood kids.
When the Denver Broncos drafted Jonathon Cooper in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, they knew they were getting an edge rusher out of Ohio State with high character.
What they might not have realized is their draft pick would soon produce one of the coolest draft celebrations of the year.
Cooper didn’t plan to make waves. He just went outside to play football with some kids from his neighborhood. The result? Wholesome content everyone can enjoy.
Each of those kids will have an everlasting memory of that day, which is just awesome.
Who knows? One of them may go on to be drafted themselves.
The Broncos drafted Jonathan Cooper to see what he can do on the edge
The Broncos hope Cooper can learn behind Von Miller on the edge. He’ll obviously have to make the roster first and foremost, but he’ll be in a good situation to watch the best go to work if he can do that.
Cooper may have been a seventh-round selection, but he brings the qualities of someone who can learn and grow into an eventual role.
Watching him take the time out of the biggest day of his life to play football with a bunch of kids shows you what a good head he has on his shoulders. He was a two-time academic All-Big Ten player. He became the first Ohio State player chosen to wear the “Block O” jersey because of his “character and selfless, player-driven leadership qualities.”
Beyond that, he was a team captain for the Buckeyes. His competitiveness and smarts netted him a team-best 3.5 sacks, 24 tackles, two QB hurries and a forced fumble in eight games in 2020.