Darius Cooper stars in debut: Can undrafted rookie make way onto Eagles' 53-man roster?

PHILADELPHIA -- Darius Cooper was all smiles as he awaited to introduce himself to the media members set to swarm him. As the sea of reporters grew, Cooper took a Sunday Night Football-style intro as he greeted reporters with a warm welcome. 

"Darius Cooper. Graduated from Tarleton State University. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri," Cooper said. "It's a blessing to be here."

Cooper couldn't wait for the chance to talk to reporters about his game, one that showed the NFL an undrafted free agent from Tarleton State can play in the league. He finished with a team-leading six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Bengals -- all of those receptions came against Cincinnati's first-or-second team defense. 

This wasn't a late second-half performance by a player looking to get game tape in a preseason game. Cooper was making these catches against players who will be suiting up in the NFL on Sundays, the most significant one being the 21-yard touchdown reception late in the first half from a beautiful go-ball from Tanner McKee. 

"Great release, [Darius] beat him over the top, made a great grab at the back end of the end zone," McKee said. "It was good to see that and just see new guys make big plays and have that because I feel like throughout practice you kind of have that chemistry and different things, but to see it in a game and see guys make big plays like that, it's a lot of fun. 

"It builds confidence for me as a quarterback to give them the ball, but also for the other guys that are on the sideline and the coaches just like, 'Hey, these guys can make big plays in big time situations.'"

McKee frequently targeted Cooper early and often, as the undrafted rookie had the opportunity to make plays with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith not playing and Jahan Dotson only getting in a series. Cooper and Johnny Wilson were the beneficiaries of McKee's precision passing (Wilson had three catches for 73 yards), as the Eagles No. 2 quarterback was able to set him up for some plays when the ball came his way. 

Modeling his game after Brown, Cooper took the advice from his favorite receiver to heart. 

"I feel like I got really good hands," Cooper said. "I don't like catching the ball with my body. I use my hands. ... I'm not as tall as him, but he's a bigger type build. He's fast and physical. uses his hands and that's what I put my game after."

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The journey to the NFL

Only 20 players from Tarleton State have played in the NFL prior to Cooper signing with the Eagles this spring. Always a long shot to make the league coming from an FCS school, Cooper certainly had the numbers that showed be belonged in the league. 

A first-team All-America selection in the FCS, Cooper finished second across all NCAA Division I teams (FBS and FCS) in receiving yards last season (1,450) while finishing tied for sixth in touchdowns (14). The numbers matched Cooper's production, as he ran a 4.48 at Tarleton State's Pro Day. 

Cooper wasn't invited to the combine. 

"I wasn't disappointed at all," Cooper said. "God has a plan for everybody. God has a purpose. My plan wasn't to go to the draft, so I focused on training, my pro day. We thought we'd go maybe late seventh round, but name didn't get called -- and that's okay. 

"Agent did a great job communicating with teams and Eagles picked us up."

Cooper wasn't given a reason why he wasn't invited to the combine nor was drafted, but the 23-year-old receiver knew the Eagles were the place for him. They were the team that communicated with his agent throughout the pre-draft process, and the team that showed the most faith in him. 

Since signing with the Eagles, Cooper has continued to make plays in minicamp and training camp. Listed at 5-11, 210 (Cooper was listed at 6-0, 190 in college), Cooper has used his hands and route-running to consistently get open and make plays when the ball has come his way. 

He put himself on the radar, the only way he could. 

"I think he has a lot of good tools, catches the ball obviously really well," said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. "Those are some tough catches that he made today, particularly on some of those shallows. That fourth-down shallow was like a perfect ball by Tanner with some traffic. I think they were in two-man and he just made a really nice catch there. 

"He's continuing to get better, learning all the different spots that he needs to play. I think he's got an opportunity to do some good things. Obviously, you saw that out there today."

Can Cooper make the 53-man roster? 

The Eagles have a battle on their hands for two wide receiver spots, three if they decide to keep six receivers on the initial 53-man roster. Brown, Smith and Dotson are locks -- and Wilson is close to being a lock thanks to his ability to block and do the dirty work in the offense. 

The final roster spot (or two) will come down to Cooper, Ainias Smith and Elijah Cooks (who has also been a camp standout). Cooks has impressed in camp and playing his way into roster consideration before leaving on a cart during the preseason opener (seemed to be in good spirits after the game). Smith was a fifth-round pick last year and is a good special teamer who can return kicks, so he has value there. 

Cooper's best path toward making the roster is to continue making plays and finding more ways to impress the coaching staff. He's still a long shot, but the odds of making the Eagles have shifted in his favor. 

"Keep stacking them days. Doing what I'm doing," Cooper said. "That gives me the confidence in myself to keep working harder than I am."