Rookie Xavier Cooper Becoming One of Browns' Most Impressive Defensive Standouts

Though Round 1 of the Cleveland Browns' draft classes in recent years hasn't worked out as planned, they have found some success in Rounds 2 and 3 when it comes to finding impressive young contributors.

Granted, we won't know until at least January how the Browns' 2015 class panned out, first-rounders included, but it's fair to say that players like Joel Bitonio, Christian Kirksey and Terrance West have had better early career returns than the Johnny Manziels and Justin Gilberts of the roster.

This year's version of Bitonio-Kirskey-West looks like it could be third-round draft pick Xavier Cooper. Through two preseason games, the defensive end has been a standout. And because the Browns take a rotational approach to their defensive line, Cooper will undoubtedly get regular-season snaps.

Cooper currently leads his team with three preseason sacks—tied for most in the league. He also has three solo tackles. Pro Football Focus has given him the highest grade on the team as a pass-rusher this preseason.

Though he could do better in the run game, in which Pro Football Focus has given him a negative-1.4 grade, that's also a marginal knock against him. Further, it's likely that Cooper will be used most often in pass-rushing situations, especially in his rookie year.

Games	Snaps	Solo T.	Ass't. T	Sacks	QB Hits	QB Hurries
2	27	3	0	3	0	1

Based on Browns head coach Mike Pettine's observations of Cooper, it's clear that he was drafted to fit the team's defensive philosophy.

"The thing that we noticed on the college tape was [Cooper] had the most explosive get-off of any of the [defensive] lineman that we evaluated. As far as the ball moving to him moving. I would put him up against anybody else in the draft class," Pettine said, per ClevelandBrowns.com.

Pettine continued to break down the aspects of Cooper's game that impressed him:

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He has a great knack and a feel for that first step and that get-off. To me, he is really good with his hands and I think he has a good understanding of what offenses are trying to do. Guys that gather pre-snap information—he has shown a knack for being able to hedge his bet a little bit knowing whether it was going to be run or a pass or know whether the run was going to him or away from him. With that get-off comes disruptiveness that is difficult on an offense when your offensive lineman are slow and basically chasing a guy and getting bubbled back into the backfield.

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Cooper also went in-depth about his quick first step when speaking to reporters on Sunday, saying, via Tom Reed of the Plain Dealer:

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It is something I always watched, just trying to get that jump. ... You can feel how a guy is snapping the ball or the center's movement if he is leaning back or if his hand is getting red [from squeezing the ball, preparing to snap it]. Something is triggering him to snap the ball. Any type of movement I feel on the line, I am going off that.

"

While technique can be honed, quickness and instincts are things that cannot be taught. It's why Cooper has shown such rapid development in his short time in the league. It's also why he should prove a valuable part of the Browns pass rush this year.

The Browns released their latest preseason depth chart on Monday, and Cooper is currently listed as the third-string left defensive end, behind Desmond Bryant and Armonty Bryant, and putting him on the same roster footing as third-string right defensive end Billy Winn. But, as noted before, these designations don't mean much when it comes to the way the Browns approach their defensive line.

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cooper being listed third behind the two Bryants confirms that his strong preseason performance will be rewarded with routine pass-rushing snaps once the regular season begins.

It wasn't just because of injuries that 10 different Browns defensive linemen took the field for the team last year—injuries might have affected their overall snap counts, but it's almost guaranteed that those 10 men would have seen playing time regardless of who landed on injured reserve. It's just the nature of the system.

In fact, that very nature of Cleveland's system is what will allow Cooper to get more playing time than he would on a team with a static defensive line. And it's also the nature of the Browns' system that attracted Pettine to drafting Cooper in the first place.

Not only does Cooper fit the Browns' defensive plans, he can also execute them. As long as Cooper can continue to showcase his speed and instincts in the preseason and prove that they hold up against a first-string offense, he's going to make the Browns defense, and particularly its pass rush, a much-improved unit this year.