One round after selecting Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper, the Green Bay Packers dipped back into the off-ball market and drafted Missouri’s Ty’Ron Hopper at No. 91 overall in the third round. In Cooper and Hopper, the Packers might have completely rehauled the off-ball linebacker position for the team’s transition to the 4-3 base defense under Jeff Hafley.
Hopper played in 51 games over three seasons at Florida and two at Missouri. The 23-year-old stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with over 200 career tackles.
Here are five things to know about Hopper, the Packers’ second of two third-round picks:
Stat stuffer at linebacker
Missouri linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper celebrates after a play during a game against Kansas State at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 16, 2023, in Columbia, Mo.
Hopper was a Butkus Award finalist in 2023 after producing 55 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three pass breakups before suffering a shoulder injury after 10 games. The 2023 season wasn’t even Hopper’s best in terms of production. In 2021 (at Florida) and 2022 (at Missouri), Hopper produced 24 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven pass breakups and one interception. His final career stat line included 31.5 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups and 9.5 sacks, and Pro Football Focus tracked 65 quarterback pressures and 112 stops, or a tackle creating an offensive failure.
Standout 2022 season
Oct 8, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (8) tackles Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The 2022 season is the one to watch with Hopper, who had 78 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 32 pressures and 41 stops across 13 games for Missouri.
He created 2.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and an interception against La Tech, 3.0 tackles for loss, a sack and two QB hits against Auburn, 1.0 tackle for loss, a forced fumble and two pass breakups vs. Georgia and 2.0 tackles for loss vs. both Kentucky and South Carolina.
Here’s more from Hopper’s 2022 season:
Packers liked his athleticism
Hopper’s Relative Athletic Score of 7.42 isn’t exactly noteworthy, but the Packers said they clocked him in the high 4.5s in the 40-yard dash — easing concerns over Hopper’s speed after he ran 4.68 at the combine.
Hopper is a long linebacker with an explosive lower body and sideline to sideline speed.
“He’s an explosive athlete,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He runs fast on tape, he ran fast for us on the watch, so it all came together.”
Missed tackles
Sep 16, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas State Wildcats tight end Ben Sinnott (34) runs with the ball against Missouri Tigers linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (8) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
One area for Hopper to clean up entering the NFL: tackling. Hopper missed 33 tackles over his final two collegiate seasons, including a 22.7 missed tackle percentage during the 2023 season. Dane Brugler of The Athletic said Hopper “slides off ball-carriers” and must work on tackling form and finishing strength. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and linebackers coach Anthony Campanile will be tasked with getting Hopper ready to take on NFL runners and get them on the ground at a higher clip.
Family Tys
Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (LB15) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
How’s this for a football family? According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Hopper moved in with his aunt and uncle in Roswell, GA, during high school to help his football recruiting process. His cousins in the house? Tyrone Hopper II, who played football at North Carolina. Tyneil Hopper, who played football at Boise State and Michigan State. And Tyjai Hopper, a 2024 recruit who is headed to play football at James Madison. Football is a way of life for the new Packers linebacker.
