Ty’Ron Hopper intercepted Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum in the Green Bay Packers‘ 31-7 win on Oct. 11. Matt LaFleur said this week the staff saw that kind of play coming from the third-year linebacker as far back as organized team activities.
Hopper and Isaiah McDuffie split the linebacker spot Edgerrin Cooper held before he tore his Achilles on Oct. 4 at Tampa Bay, according to the Packers. The interception was one of Green Bay’s five takeaways against Chicago, three of them interceptions.
Green Bay drafted Hopper in the third round in 2024, 91st overall, out of Missouri. LaFleur said the player on the field now is the one the Packers had in mind on draft night.
“I’ve seen a ton of growth,” LaFleur said. “If you talk from year one, now being in year three, I think we kind of saw this coming throughout the course of OTAs and then certainly into training camp. So that’s really exciting to see, because that’s the guy that we envisioned when we drafted him.”
Ty’Ron Hopper’s growth starts with diagnosing plays
LaFleur listed preparation and fundamentals before naming the trait he connects most directly to making plays: reading what an offense is about to do.
“I would say in every facet of it, how he prepares, but also the fundamentals that he’s playing with, his ability to diagnose what’s going on,” LaFleur said. “If you ever want to make plays in this league, you better be able to anticipate what’s coming. And I think just overall football knowledge.”
“That’s to be expected of any player,” LaFleur continued. “The more you play, you think the more you learn and you grow. And for every individual, I would say that learning curve might be a little bit different.”
Jonathan Gannon wants consistency from Ty’Ron Hopper
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was asked what comes next for Hopper. His answer was the same one he gives for every player, and he credited both Hopper and McDuffie for how they filled Cooper’s role.
“I think that’s every player, consistency of doing what you’re coached to do with the way that you want to do it, with technique, fundamentals, playmaking,” Gannon said. “But I thought he played well. That seems like so far in the past, but I thought he played a good chunk. You guys saw what we did to fill Coop’s spot, and I thought him and Duff played well.”
Cooper had 30 tackles, three sacks and an interception in four games before the injury. Zaire Franklin and McDuffie are the listed starters, with Hopper rotating in at Cooper’s old spot.
The Packers (3-2) host the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) at 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday on NBC and Peacock.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Green Bay Packers: 3 x-factors for Week Six against the Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers: NFL insider reveals the new Micah Parsons return target
- Micah Parsons dismisses Bears trash talk after Packers’ dominating win
- Green Bay Packers get Evan Williams and Keisean Nixon back at practice ahead of Week 6 vs Dallas Cowboys
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @GrantAfseth and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!