Heading into last year’s NFL draft, Jonathan Cooper was viewed as one of the best guard prospects ever to come out of college football. But he still has a long way to go to live up to the hype.
The Cardinals took Cooper with the seventh overall pick last year, but he broke his leg in the preseason and missed the entire regular season. Now Cooper is healthy enough to practice, but head coach Bruce Arians hasn’t been thrilled with what he’s seen.
“I’m a little disappointed with where Coop is at right now,” Arians told the team’s website. “I’d hope he come a little faster.”
The Cardinals actually had two rookie guards who sat out the entire season last year, with fourth-round pick Earl Watford also not playing at all last year. Arians said he thinks the presence of Watford on the depth chart may push Cooper, which is a good sign for Watford’s development, but not such a great sign for a Top 10 pick heading into his second year.