Jaguars sign punter Logan Cooke to rookie contract

The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially signed their first player from their 2018 NFL Draft class — punter Logan Cooke out of Mississippi State.

Cooke averaged 41.7 yards per punt in his career and 42.7 yards per punt as a senior. In addition to punting, Cooke also kicked off and kicked field goals for Mississippi State.

“It actually hits you that you’re signing an NFL contract,” Cooke said shortly after signing, according to John Oehser. “When you’re going over all of the things inside the contract it’s actually pretty neat to realize you’re actually doing it.”

The Jaguars cut veteran punter Brad Nortman two days after selecting Cooke, and for good reason — the team finished 23rd in the league with a net punting average of 41.0 yards per punt. Nortman had just 29 punts downed within the 20 yard line (right around the league average) and had several underwhelming games late in the season.

Last year’s No. 247 overall pick was wide receiver Malachi Dupre, who signed a four-year, $2.46 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. Cooke should make in that ballpark.

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