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Former Ohio State DE Jonathon Cooper reveals he went through multiple heart procedures after NFL draft
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2021 would’ve been eventful for Jonathon Cooper just making the jump from college to professional football. However, the former Ohio State Buckeye had some serious health issues to go along with that.
The Denver Broncos’ seventh-round pick revealed Thursday he underwent three heart ablations this offseason, which made this training camp all the more celebratory.
Jonathon Cooper says he had three ablations in May before he was cleared. He said those procedures lasted about 8 hours each. Wow. #Broncos
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) August 3, 2021
Per the Denver Post, Cooper has dealt with heart issues since childhood. An EKG taken two weeks before the draft revealed the need for these ablations, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a way to restore a regular heart beat. He had two ablations done while growing up during high school. The diagnosis caused Cooper to drop to the seventh round.
This wild offseason for Cooper comes after a successful four-year career in Columbus where he played in 45 games and was a two-time captain. He finished his career with 75 tackles and 10 sacks.
Cooper joins a Broncos squad with some solid linebacker competition. That conversation starts with future Hall-of-Famer Von Miller but includes some other solid backers. Cooper’s ideal spot would probably be as Denver’s fourth linebacker.
While it’d be a helluva story if Cooper became a contributor for Denver, just the fact he’s out there and competing after the offseason he had is quite impressive. It’s hard not to root for a guy like that.