Arizona Cardinals: 5 Players Primed to Breakout in 2015

Jonathan Cooper, OG

Dec 7, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals guard Jonathan Cooper (61) against the Kansas City Chiefs at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Chiefs 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Since selecting him with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Jonathan Cooper has given the Cardinals very little on the offensive line. Taken as an elite offensive guard prospect, Cooper has yet to reach anything close to his upside as a player.

While he has not shown too much when he has been on the field, to be fair, Cooper really has not had much opportunity to prove himself since being in the NFL. In his first preseason game as a pro, Cooper broke his leg, which held him out of his entire rookie season of 2013. He suffered a turf toe injury last preseason which held him back once again, as he did not start the season in the starting lineup for the Cardinals.

Once Cooper did begin to see some starts last season, he suffered a broken wrist. Throughout his two-year NFL career, Cooper has only been on the active roster for 10 games, which only includes two starts. It is safe to say that he has not lived up to his billing as a top ten draft pick.

All of that being said, Cooper is still a talented player who could have a huge impact for the Cardinals up front. With the team bringing in left guard Mike Iupati this off season, Cooper will move to right guard, a position that will be his to lose heading into Training Camp.

Cooper is looking “healthy and moving around quite well” in early workouts according to local Fox Sports reporter Mike Jurecki. This is obviously very good news for the Cardinals who have the potential to be an absolutely dominant offensive line if Cooper can turn the corner.

A lot of this depends on his ability to stay healthy, but Cooper’s injuries thus far could be looked at as unfortunate incidents out of his control. Regardless, he has a ton of upside at the right guard position, and if he can just show his talents, I think that supporters of the Cardinals will be very happy.

Next: First Round Receiver with Huge Upside