Pat Coogan

Summary

Pat Coogan (23 years old) is a stalwart Center who began his college career at Notre Dame (2021–2024) and earned Bachelor’s degree in American Studies in just over three years before transferring to Indiana for the 2025 season where he earned a Graduate degree. In 2025, Coogan started throughout the season at center and allowed minimal interior pressure across a full slate of pass-blocking snaps, serving as a steady presence and tone-setter for Indiana’s offensive line. His 2025 performance earned him All-Big Ten consideration, building on prior starting experience at Notre Dame where he developed into a reliable interior lineman before transferring. Coogan hails from Marist High School in Chicago, the same powerhouse program that produced NFL stars like Kyle Hamilton, and was so dominant there that he earned over 30 scholarship offers, including from academic heavyweights like Stanford and Duke, before choosing the Irish. Coogan is a die-hard Chicagoan at heart and has often mentioned that his "blue-collar" blocking style is a direct reflection of the Midwest Catholic League football culture he grew up in. Teammates frequently highlight his ability to make protection calls and anchor the interior as indicators of his football intelligence and maturity. From an injury standpoint, Coogan has been largely durable throughout his career, missing his 2022 sophomore season with a torn meniscus but logging over 2,600 collegiate snaps and only two sacks allowed since then.

Strengths

• Mauler of the Midway: Plays through the whistle and looks to bury defenders once he gains leverage. Brings a “Chicago Roots” edge to the interior. Comfortable in tight quarters and doesn’t shy away from contact-heavy interior play.

• Contact Initiator: Can generate movement early on down blocks and doubles when he comes off low and square. Understands how to generate movement with a partner and climb off at the right time. Will get out in space and look for work, even if the finish isn’t always clean.

• Absorbent is He: When his base is set, he can absorb bull rushes and hold the pocket interior. Very difficult to move off his spot and roots his ankles to the ground.

• Center Mentality: Communicative, active, and engaged — plays like a pivot point for the line. Brings energy and physical presence that shows up over the course of a game.

Weaknesses

• Pop Goes the Diesel: Will win initial leverage, then pop upright — defenders re-anchor and negate early movement. Will lean into contact instead of sitting into his hips, leading to late losses or slips off blocks.

• Wide Hands: When his first strike doesn’t land clean, he tends to latch rather than reset, losing control of the rep. Once beaten cleanly, he doesn’t have the foot speed to reattach consistently.

• Quick Penetration: Twitchy 1-techs/3-techs can cross his face before he establishes positioning. Effort and aggression are high, but sometimes come at the expense of control and precision.

• More Gap Scheme: When asked to reach or stretch laterally, he can get beaten to landmarks. Can arrive to linebackers but doesn’t always square up or sustain — contact is often glancing.

Outlook

Coogan projects as a tough, technically sound interior lineman with a strong anchor, good hand placement, and the football IQ to handle protection calls and line adjustments, giving him reliable starter potential at the pivot. He fits best in gap-based or balanced offensive schemes that emphasize communication, combo blocking, and interior grit, allowing him to leverage angles and positioning rather than relying purely on elite athletic traits. Coogan is trending as a Day 2 to early Day 3 prospect with a Round 3–5 projection in the 2026 NFL Draft, with added value due to his positional intelligence and experience.

Pro Comparison: Ben Jones

Team Fits: CHI, MIN, CAR, TEN, WAS