Marcus Cooper

He was the 29th and final cornerback selected during the draft.

He was also ranked the 40th best at his cornerback position as a prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Marcus Cooper Sr. (born February 1, 1990) is a former American football cornerback.

At the 2008 Bloomfield Invitational, he took gold in the long jump, with a leap of 6.48 meters (21 ft, 1 in), while also earning second-place finishes in both the 100-meter dash (10.79 s) and the high jump (2.04 m) events.

In addition, he also ran the 55-meter dash in 6.47 seconds and clocked a 4.45-second 40-yard dash.

Cooper played all four years for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, but saw limited playing time as a starter during his first two seasons.

He switched to cornerback in his final year at Rutgers and his playing time increased immensely along with his production.

Coming out of Rutgers, Cooper was projected by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts to be selected in the seventh round or be a priority undrafted free agent signing immediately after the conclusion of the draft.

He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine due to the fact that Cooper was not a highly projected prospect.

He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

He played college football for Rutgers University.

Cooper has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and New York Jets.

Cooper attended Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where he was a two-sport star in football and track.

In football, he finished his career as the school's all-time leader in receiving yards, touchdowns, receptions and consecutive games with a touchdown.

He also ranks second in Connecticut history in career receiving yards (3,014), touchdown receptions (43), and consecutive games with a touchdown reception (13).

Also an standout track & field athlete, Cooper was a state qualifier in the 100 meters.

On March 13, 2013, Cooper participated at Rutgers pro day and opted to perform all of the combine and positional drills for the team representatives and scouts from all 32 NFL teams.

His overall performance was seen as a success that showcased his ability.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Cooper in the seventh round (252nd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

On May 10, 2013, the San Francisco 49ers signed Cooper to a four-year, $2.20 million contract with a signing bonus of $45,896.

He competed with Tramaine Brock, Chris Culliver, Darryl Morris, and Lowell Rose throughout training camp for a job as a backup cornerback.

On August 31, 2013, the San Francisco 49ers waived Cooper as part of their final roster cuts.

On September 1, 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs claimed him off waivers and added him to their active roster.

Upon arrival, head coach Andy Reid named Cooper the Chiefs' fourth cornerback on their depth chart behind veterans Sean Smith, Brandon Flowers, and Dunta Robinson.

He made his professional regular season debut during the Chiefs' season-opening 28–2 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and finished with one tackle.

On September 29, 2013, Cooper earned his first career start in a 31–7 win over the New York Giants and recorded a tackle and two pass deflections.

He started in place of Brandon Flowers, who was unable to play due to a knee injury.

The following week, he recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, made three combined tackles, three pass deflections, and made the first interception of his career, picking off Tennessee Titans' quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in a 26–17 victory.

In Week 5, Cooper earned five solo tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from Terrelle Pryor during a 24–7 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

On December 1, 2013, Cooper started his fifth game of his rookie season and recorded a season-high eight combined tackles, defended a pass, and intercepted a pass from Peyton Manning during a 35–28 loss to the Denver Broncos, a game in which he also gave up several touchdowns to Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker in Decker's 4 touchdown performance.

He finished with a total of 44 combined tackles (41 solo), a career-high 18 pass deflections, and three interceptions in six starts and 16 games.

Cooper won the Mack Lee Hill Award at the end of the 2013 season for being the most productive rookie on the team.

After finishing second in the AFC West with an 11–5 record the Kansas City Chiefs received a playoff berth.

On January 4, 2014, Cooper appeared in his first career postseason game and recorded two combined tackles and defended a pass as the Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts 44–45 in the AFC Wildcard game.

Cooper entered a competition in training camp for the vacant starting cornerback position left by the departure of Brandon Flowers.

He competed with Ron Parker, Chris Owens, Phillip Gaines, and DeMarcus Van Dyke.

He was named the starting cornerback, opposite Sean Smith, to begin the regular season.

He missed the season-opener against the Tennessee Titans due to an ankle injury he suffered during practice.

On September 14, 2014, Cooper made his season debut and recorded five combined tackles and defended two passes during a 17–24 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The following week, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles in a 34–15 victory over the Miami Dolphins.