Darius Cooper introduces himself to Eagles fans with tremendous performance

Darius Cooper introduces himself to Eagles fans with tremendous performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Darius Cooper can laugh about it now.

But back in OTAs, when the undrafted rookie receiver from Tarleton State got his first first-team rep in the NFL, he had a moment with Jalen Hurts that still brings a smile to his face.

He was calling the play," Cooper said, and I was like right next to him. And he called the play and I'm looking at him. I'm like, I'm next to Jalen Hurts right now. This is crazy!' He called the play, we broke the huddle ... I didn't know what I was doing at all."

Oops.

Cooper lined up in the wrong formation, but eventually figured it out and ran the right route. But aside from that one moment, Cooper has always carried himself like he belongs in the NFL, even if some didn't believe it.

Cooper, 23, played college football at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, which boasts a population just over 20,000 and is known as The Cowboy Capital of the World."

Cooper was a star in college - a big fish in a small pond. But even though he led the FCS in receiving last year and was second among all Division I players in receiving yards, he didn't receive an invite to the NFL Combine. And he didn't hear his name called during the seven rounds of the NFL Draft.

But he still never had a doubt.

I always knew I belonged," Cooper said.

He proved it on Thursday night.

In the Eagles' 34-27 win over the Bengals in their preseason opener, Cooper stole the show. He caught 6 of 7 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Those are some tough catches that he made today, particularly on some of those shallows," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. That fourth-down shallow was like a perfect ball by Tanner (McKee) 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."

It would be one thing if Cooper (5-11, 210) simply had one good night, but he has also been shining throughout the first 10 practices in training camp. He has been pushing for a roster spot, battling with receivers like Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith and Elijah Cooks.

Throughout the summer, Cooper has been building more and more confidence and it showed on Thursday.

Yessir, most definitely," he said. Confidence in myself, confidence in my coach. He's teaching me so much great things and I'm just applying them."

Whenever a player comes from a smaller program, the question about the level of competition always comes up. Folks will wonder how that player will acclimate to life in the NFL with more talent around.

But Cooper never worried about that.

Not really," he said. You put the work in, it's going to show. I always had confidence in myself because the work was put in and that's what you go out with."

That work paid off in a huge way against the Bengals in the preseason opener.

What did Cooper prove on Thursday night?

Just consistency," he said. If the ball comes my way, I'll catch it. I think I had a drop today but I had to learn in my carer to not let drops get to you mentally. You gotta just keep playing. Even when you have a game like I had today, you just gotta keep stacking days. Never get too high, stay neutral throughout the whole process."

While Cooper had several nice grabs on Thursday, his 20-yard touchdown catch from McKee late in the second-quarter was the top highlight of the night. Cooper was able to beat the cornerback's press coverage with a great release and McKee delivered a beautiful ball. Cooper is proud of his hands and he showed them off on this play.

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I think he's a really good player, very fast, great hands," McKee said. I think you guys saw that today. Can win one-on-one routes, which is huge in the NFL. If they're going to give you one-on-one on the outside, you got to take advantage of it and so I think he did a great job of that for sure."

Cooper had his first breakout college season in 2022, when he caught 54 passes for 1,063 yards and 9 touchdowns. Perhaps he could have left Tarleton State after that season but he said he prayed on it and felt confident in his decision to stay.

After being limited to seven games in 2023, Cooper had an incredible season in 2024. In 14 games, he caught 76 passes for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Maybe some teams were scared off by the level of competition, maybe some didn't think his 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day was fast enough. But whatever the reason, Cooper went undrafted. He decided to join the Eagles because he and his wife thought it was the best fit for them.

When asked about his chances to make the team, Cooper stressed the importance of just stacking days. The confident young receiver has definitely been doing that this summer.

He stacked another one on Thursday night and it came with a trip to the end zone that he'll always cherish.

It was a blessing, man," Cooper said. A feeling like I never felt before. Just a blessing to be here and I will never forget it. Actually, I gotta find the ball. I didn't keep the ball, so I hope we can find the ball."