Elijah Cooks

Elijah Cooks
No. 14 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1998-10-13) October 13, 1998 (age 26)
Santa Maria, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Atascadero
(Atascadero, California)
College:Nevada (2017–2021)
San Jose State (2022)
Undrafted:2023
Career history
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Elijah Stephen Cooks (born October 13, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack before transferring to the San Jose State Spartans and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jaguars after the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life

Born in Santa Maria, California, Cooks grew up there and initially attended St. Joseph High School, where he played football and basketball.[1][2] Midway through his tenth grade year, Cooks moved to Atascadero and transferred to Atascadero High School.[3]

As a senior at Atascadero in 2016, Cooks tallied 56 catches for 966 yards and 15 touchdowns, winning the Pac 5 Offensive Player of the Year award.[4]

College career

Nevada

Cooks committed to play football for the University of Nevada at Reno on February 1, 2017.[5] He chose Nevada over Hawaii, Wyoming, Fresno State, and San Jose State, the team he later played for.[6]

In five seasons at Nevada from 2017 to 2021, Cooks had 115 receptions for 1,478 yards and 18 touchdowns.[1] Having played 35 games from 2017 to 2019, Cooks sat out all of 2020 due to a shoulder injury.[6][7] In 2021, Cooks played in three games before a season-ending injury.[6]

Cooks also briefly joined the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team in the 2017–18 season as a temporary replacement for an injured player.[3] Cooks played four games, averaging one minute per game.[8]

San Jose State

After five years with Nevada, Cooks moved on to San Jose State University as a graduate transfer.[9] It's at San Jose State where he had his most productive year, garnering selection to the first-team All-MW.[10]

College statistics

Season Games Receiving Rushing
GP Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD
Nevada Wolf Pack
2017 2 2 23 11.5 0 0 0 0 0
2018 11 22 348 15.8 6 1 40 40 1
2019 13 76 926 12.2 8 0 0 0 0
2020 1 2 24 12.0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 3 13 157 12.1 4 0 0 0 0
San Jose State Spartans
2022 12 69 1076 15.6 10 0 0 0 0
Career 42 184 2554 13.9 28 1 40 40.0 1

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+3⁄4 in
(1.92 m) 		219 lb
(99 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.51 s 1.62 s 2.65 s 4.25 s 7.10 s 37.5 in
(0.95 m)		 10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)		 16 reps
All values from Pro Day[11]

After not being drafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Cooks signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2023.[12][13][14] On August 29, 2023, the Jaguars announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster.[15][16][17]

On August 27, 2024, Cooks was waived by the Jaguars and re-signed to the practice squad.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b "Elijah Cooks". San Jose State Spartans. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Elijah Cooks (St. Joseph, Santa Maria, CA)". Maxpreps. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, Joe (March 21, 2018). "March Madness: Nevada's Elijah Cooks goes from Santa Maria to Sweet 16". Santa Ynez Valley News. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Gibson, Travis (February 1, 2017). "Signing day: Atascadero's Cooks signs with Nevada, Poly women's soccer nabs local pair". The Tribune. San Luis Obispo. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  5. ^ "Elijah Cooks". 247 Sports. CBS Sports Digital. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Elijah Cooks – Football (WR)". NevadaWolfpack.com. University of Nevada at Reno. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Murray, Chris (December 4, 2020). "Saturday is senior night for the Nevada football team. Or is it?". Nevada Sports Net. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  9. ^ Reyna, Lorenzo (December 15, 2021). "SJSU adds Nevada star WR Elijah Cooks via transfer on NSD". 247 Sports. CBS Sports Digital. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "Football All-Mountain West Teams and Superlative Awards". Mountain West Conference. August 5, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Elijah Cooks College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Oehser, John (May 1, 2023). "The 2023 Offseason: Undrafted Free Agents Bring Rookie Class to 23". Jaguars.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "SJSU's Elijah Cooks Signs with the Jacksonville Jaguars". San Jose State Spartans Athletics. April 30, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Reyna, Lorenzo (April 29, 2023). "San Jose State WR Elijah Cooks signs with Jacksonville Jaguars". 247sports.com. CBS Sports Digital. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  15. ^ Oehser, John (August 30, 2023). "Elijah Cooks Makes Jaguars 53-Man Roster As Lone Collegiate Rookie Free Agent". Jaguars.com. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Oehser, John (August 29, 2023). "The 53: Breaking Down the Roster". Jaguars.com. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Shipley, John (August 29, 2023). "Jaguars Announce First Major Wave of Cuts: Elijah Cooks, 9 Other Rookies Make Team". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "Roster Moves: Jacksonville Jaguars Make The Following Roster Moves Hours Before 2024 Roster Deadline". Jaguars.com. August 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Announce Additions to the 2024 Practice Squad". Jaguars.com. August 28, 2024.