Pharoh Cooper

Pharoh Cooper (born March 7, 1995) is an American football wide receiver and kick returner for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.

Pharoh Cooper
Cooper in 2019
No. 14 – Carolina Panthers
Position:Wide receiver / kick returner
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-07) March 7, 1995
Havelock, North Carolina
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Havelock
(Havelock, North Carolina)
College:South Carolina
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Receptions:50
Receiving yards:433
Return yards:2,705
Total touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Cooper's father and grandfather were both in the Marine Corps. Cooper attended Havelock High School in Havelock, North Carolina. He played quarterback, wide receiver, running back, and defensive back.[1] He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit.[2] He committed to the University of South Carolina to play college football.

College career

Cooper attended and played college football for the University of South Carolina. He was originally a defensive back before moving to wide receiver prior to the start of his freshman season.[3] He played in 11 of 13 games his freshman season. He had three receptions for 54 receiving yards, 202 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and also completed two of three pass attempts for 29 yards and a touchdown.[4][5] Against Tennessee during his sophomore year in 2014, Cooper set the school single-game receiving yards record with 233.[6] In the 2014 Independence Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes, he had nine receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown and was named the game's MVP.[7][8] For the season, Cooper appeared in all 13 games and was named first team All-SEC after recording 69 receptions for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns.[9] He also ran for 200 yards with two rushing touchdowns and passed for 78 yards and two touchdowns. As a junior in 2015, Cooper had 873 receiving yards along with 111 rushing yards with 9 total touchdowns. He also had 55 return yards on 12 punt return opportunities. After his junior year, he announced his intentions to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 1⁄8 in
(1.81 m)		 203 lb
(92 kg)		 32 1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 9 1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10]

Los Angeles Rams

Cooper was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[11] On June 9, 2016, Cooper signed a four-year contract with the team. He played in 10 games with three starts in his rookie season, recording 14 receptions for 106 yards while fulfilling kick return and occasional punt return duties.

Following a 16–10 loss to Seattle in Week 5 of 2017, Cooper replaced a struggling Tavon Austin as the Rams' primary return man. In Week 6 of the 2017 season, Cooper scored the first NFL touchdown of his career with a 103-yard kick return touchdown to start the game in a 27–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.[12] On December 19, 2017, Cooper was selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl as a return specialist.[13]

On September 12, 2018, Cooper was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in Week 1.[14] He was activated off injured reserve on November 19, 2018.[15] On December 18, 2018, Cooper was released by the Rams.[16]

Arizona Cardinals

On December 19, 2018, Cooper was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.[17] Appearing in two games, he returned six punts for 67 yards.

On August 30, 2019, Cooper was released by the Cardinals.[18]

Cincinnati Bengals

On September 1, 2019, Cooper was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals.[19] He saw limited action in the Bengals' season-opening 21–20 loss at the Seattle Seahawks, but recorded no receptions or yards. After being inactive for Week 2's game against the San Francisco 49ers, Cooper was waived on September 17, 2019.[20]

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On October 1, 2019, Cooper was re-signed by the Arizona Cardinals.[21]

Carolina Panthers

On March 20, 2020, Cooper signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.[22]

NFL statistics

Regular season
Year Team Games Receiving Kickoff return Punt return Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2016LAR 103141067.62301432323.1510551.06000
2017LAR 16111847.62603493227.410313239912.553032
2018LAR 50000.0001327721.32802126.012000
ARI 20000.000000.00066711.245010
2019ARI 131252439.72812556122.4390171297.629000
Total465504338.6281862,09324.31031626129.953042

Postseason
Year Team Games Receiving Kickoff return Punt return Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDRetYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2017LAR 10----0.0----612020.0260471.89011
Total10000.000612020.0260471.89011

References
  1. Ken Buday, Havelock News. "Cooper helps Rams get back to state title game". Havelock News.
  2. "Pharoh Cooper".
  3. "USC's Cooper enjoying switch from defense to offense". GoUpstate.com.
  4. Jordan Honeycutt, Sports Writer. "Football: Cooper a crucial part of Gamecocks' offense". New Bern Sun Journal.
  5. "USC's Pharoh Cooper steps up on offense". GoUpstate.com.
  6. "South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper has record night in defeat". NFL.com.
  7. "USC's Pharoh Cooper caps impressive season with MVP performance". The Greenville News. December 28, 2014.
  8. "Cooper makes statement to cap dream season". shreveporttimes.com. December 27, 2014.
  9. "Cooper named first-team All-SEC". Archived from the original on February 11, 2015.
  10. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Pharoh Cooper". National Football League.
  11. "2016 NFL Draft: Los Angeles Rams Select South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper". TurfShowTimes.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  12. "Adrian Peterson among the NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. October 18, 2017.
  13. "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  14. "Rams Sign JoJo Natson, Move Pharoh Cooper to I.R." TheRams.com. September 12, 2018.
  15. Dennis, Clarence (November 19, 2018). "Rams Activate WR Pharoh Cooper, Move Kupp to Injured Reserve". TheRams.com.
  16. Simmons, Myles (December 18, 2018). "Rams Waive WR Pharoh Cooper". TheRams.com.
  17. Urban, Darren (December 19, 2018). "Cardinals Claim Wide Receiver Pharoh Cooper". AZCardinals.com.
  18. Nash, Anthony. "Pharoh Cooper released by the Arizona Cardinals". Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  19. Roling, Chris. "Report: Bengals claim WR Pharoh Cooper, RB Samaje Perine on waivers". BengalsWire.USAToday.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  20. "Bengals Make Player Moves". Bengals.com. September 17, 2019.
  21. "Cardinals Add Familiar Face At Receiver, Sign Pharoh Cooper". AZCardinals.com. October 1, 2019.
  22. Bryan, Will (March 20, 2020). "Panthers sign wide receiver Pharoh Cooper". Panthers.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
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