Round 3 Pick 69: Cooper Kupp, WR

[12intheBox]

I would have been ok with Kupp much earlier. I'm still salty about Lamp but I like where we are right now.

 

[simonblaze]

PFF on Kupp :

One of the most talked-about names in this draft class is Kupp, from FCS school Eastern Washington. While it is true that Kupp dominated teams against which he was clearly athletically superior and far more talented, Kupp cannot be overlooked in this class. He’s an incredibly smart receiver and knows how to break off or adjust his routes depending on what coverage he’s against. He’s not the fastest out there but he uses very good route-running in order to create space to catch the ball with very strong hands. Kupp will be pigeonholed as a slot receiver by many, but he has the size and skills to play outside as well. He averaged 5.11 yards per route run as an outside receiver last season. Kupp is another guy that likely will never be a true No. 1 receiver, but he has the tools and skills to be an effective NFL starter for many years to come. — Bryson Vesnaver, @PFF_Bryson

CBS on Kupp :

PLAYER OVERVIEW
A no-star recruit out of high school, Kupp did whatever he could to attract attention from FBS-level schools like Washington and Washington State, but went overlooked and received only two scholarship offers (both FCS), committing to Eastern Washington over Idaho State. After redshirting in 2012, he earned a starting job in 2013 and won the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman with 93 catches, 1,691 receiving yards and a career-best 21 touchdown receptions. Kupp started 13 games in 2014 as a sophomore and posted 104 catches for 1,431 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning consensus All-American and All-Big Sky honors. He set new career-bests as a junior with 114 receptions for 1,642 receiving yards and 19 receiving grabs, cleaning up the accolades once again, including the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. Kupp flirted with leaving early for the NFL, but ultimately returned to school and saved his best for 2016. Despite missing some playing time due to injury as a senior, he set new Big Sky records for receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,700) over his 13 starts and once again earned consensus All-American honors and the FCS Offensive Player of the Year award.

The most prolific wide receiver in FCS history, Kupp lined up both inside and outside in EWU's spread scheme, doing much of his damage from the slot where he could manipulate the entire field. Kupp is a better football player than athlete and makes up for his lack of dynamic traits with technically sound routes, ballskills to catch everything thrown in his direction and the competitive drive needed for the NFL, playing with the mentality that he can't be covered. Although he doesn't have intimidating size or speed, Kupp has the innate feel for the position and savvy skills that will fit in any NFL scheme, projecting best in the slot.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS: Adequate height and length for the position. Gliding straight-line athlete. Crafty route runner, setting up defenders and using hesitation to create spacing. Clearly leans on his technique and trusts it. Sticky hands with the natural coordination to pluck the ball. Excellent awareness at the catch point and doesn't need to gear down to assess his surroundings after the catch. At his best on in-cutting and post routes to manipulate space in the middle of the field. Not shy about using his abusive stiff arm to pick up extra yards, refusing to concede as a ballcarrier. Capable of the big play with 37 receiving plays in his career of at least 40 yards. Clean off the field with excellent work habits. Four-year starter and four-time consensus FCS All-American. NFL bloodlines -- father (Craig) was a quarterback and fifth round pick of the New York Giants in the 1990 NFL Draft, also playing for the Phoenix Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys; grandfather (Jake) was an offensive guard and ninth round pick in the 1964 NFL Draft of the Dallas Cowboys, playing 12 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the New Orleans Saints where he was a five-time team captain. Performed exceptionally well vs. better programs with 40 catches for 716 yards and 11 touchdowns in four career games vs. Pac-12 competition. Holds the NCAA all-division record for receiving yards (6,464) and holds 15 FCS receiving records, including 428 catches and 73 receiving touchdowns in his career.


WEAKNESSES: Marginal long-speed and lacks explosive twitch in his patterns. Relies more on timing/nuance than burst to create separation mid-route. Won't consistently make NFL defenders miss in space. Unthreatening body type and build for the position. Holds the ball too loose from his body, inviting defenders to force turnovers. Needs to improve his hand use to beat press and unglue himself at the top of routes. Missed playing time as a senior due to sprained AC joints in both shoulders (Sept. 2016). Thrived against lesser competition over his career at the FCS-level.

--Dane Brugler (1/18/17)

Beat me to it Brother

 

[TexasRam]

He has the best hands in the draft and is probably one of the smartest players. My comparison is a better version of Willie Snead. I didn't love him because I wanted more explosive deep threats, but he is going to get a ridiculous amount of touches and should vacuum them up.
Here's what nfl safeties think of him

View: https://twitter.com/_tonyjefferson/status/858137592667283456


Also someone check on Jrry lol

Word on the street is jrry went streaking down his block while screaming Go Rams after the Kupp pick.

We may need to bail him out of jail fellas.

 

[den-the-coach]

@jrry32 strikes again!

 

[RamsFlash80]

Kupp gonna be a star in LA

 

[simonblaze]

Name: Cooper Kupp

School: Eastern Washington

Position fit: Versatile WR

Stats to know: Kupp averaged a very high 3.32 yards per route run last season, and his 89.3 overall grade would’ve ranked second among all FBS receivers.

What he does best:

Really strong hands. Doesn’t wait for the ball to come to him, he’ll attack it at the catch point. Rarely loses in contested catch situations.
Plays faster than his 40 time, especially for his size.
Very smart player, recognizes different coverages and will adjust his routes to find the open space. Very good at finding and settling in holes in zones.
Good footwork, strong in and out of his cuts. Was able to beat tight coverage at the line of scrimmage with feet.
Great after the catch, can make defenders miss with shifty moves but also big enough to drive through tackle attempts.
Good route-runner, can disguise routes with head and feet fakes and double moves.
Very good at using his body at all levels, can box out defenders and use his size to get jump balls.
Uses his hands well to win at the catch point.
Biggest concern:

Acceleration can be an issue. Takes him a bit to get going, may not have that kind of time and space against NFL players.
While he was effective at running every route he ran, scheme at Eastern Washington limited those routes. Will need more experience running more complex routes.
Sometimes seems to run a little upright which can slow him down in and out of his breaks.
Competition level. There were times where Kupp was clearly just a bigger and better athlete than some of the defenders he played against. This won’t be the case in the NFL.
Player comparison: T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Houshmandzadeh was never considered the fastest or strongest or most athletic player on the field. But he made up for it with phenomenal route-running and strong hands. He was very intelligent and knew how to get open against all defenses. He used his size to box out defenders and make tough catches in contested situations. All of this can also be used to describe Kupp. It’s not crazy to think that Kupp could have a similar NFL career to Houshmandzadeh.

Bottom line: Kupp is one of the most exciting prospects in the draft class, in that there is very little he can’t do on the football field. He’s likely never going to be the fastest or strongest player on the field, but he’s quick, he’s smart, he has phenomenal hands and he knows exactly where he needs to be to get the ball. Concerns about his outside receiver potential are mostly overblown (he averaged 5.11 yards per route run outside the slot in 2016). His performance during Senior Bowl week showed that he can play just as well against higher levels of competition. Kupp may not have the flashiness of some of the other receivers in this class, but he very well could be one of the best in it.

 

[simonblaze]

This guy sounds like a bigger, stronger Amendola. Try hard guy, quick, great route runner, and catches everything thrown his way. Im all in

 

[Boston Ram]

Great value with this pick!

 

[badnews]

Ok guys, I've been out on tour and not able to dig in quite as deep as I would like.

I'm guessing Kupp is more than just a 4.6 40 slot guy with good hands based on RODs reaction....

PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY WE LOVE THIS PICK
(I have zero issues with him being the selection, I just want to know what the hype is all about)

 

[jrry32]

http://ramsondemand.com/threads/if-we-draft-a-wr-early-it-should-be.48985/

 

[Mojo Ram]

A WR who can catch. What a concept...

 

[RamFan503]

Rams listen to Jrry again.

After nailing the Aaron Donald scouting report, Rams brass decide to fire scouts and just follow Jrrys picks on ramsondemand.com

Select Kupp in early round 3 lol

Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? Do you realize how impossible he is going to be to live with now? Just stop.

All that said, I do have to admit, I never really considered this guy until I read one of @jrry32 's mocks. I checked him out and became immediately hopeful that we might nab the guy.

I'm stoked and hope he is who I think he is.

 

[Corbin]

3k yards is less than 200 a game. I hope we can manage a bit more than that....

When the hell was the last time we had someone throw for 3k?

I rest my case your honour.

 

[Zodi]

This guy sounds like a bigger, stronger Amendola. Try hard guy, quick, great route runner, and catches everything thrown his way. Im all in

He looks like Jordy Nelson. Damn near identical physical stats.

 

[Prime Time]

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...roethlisberger-jared-goff-carson-wentz-022117

Cooper Kupp NFL Draft diary: Learning from the league’s best

Cooper Kupp (as told to Sam Gardner)Feb 21, 2017

Cooper Kupp played wide receiver at Eastern Washington, where he set 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 26 school records during his career. The FCS’ all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions, touchdown catches and yards per game, Kupp was a consensus All-American in each of his four seasons and is projected to be an early-round pick in April’s draft. This is the second draft diary entry for Kupp, who is documenting his NFL draft experience at FOXSports.com.

After a memorable trip to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, I returned to California and immediately got back to work, preparing for next month’s Combine. Over the past few weeks, one of the most valuable and exciting experiences has been the opportunity to work with several NFL quarterbacks, both on the practice field and in the film room at our training facility in Irvine.

The first to come through was Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft by the L.A. Rams. Jared knows as well as anyone what it’s like to deal with the pressure, demands and expectations that come with being an NFL rookie, so to have the chance to discuss what his experience was like was important for me, because I know I’ll face many of the same challenges as I settle into the league.

My wife, Anna, and I also went to dinner with Jared, and talked plenty of football and learned a bit about each other. I’m looking forward to throwing with him for the first time later this week.

More recently, I had the opportunity to watch film and throw with Carson Wentz. Carson was selected by Philadelphia one pick behind Jared in April. In many ways, Carson and I are kindred spirits, and we clicked pretty quickly.

Though we never played against each other in college, we both come from strong FCS programs, and we each have a shared love and passion for the game that goes beyond the time spent on the field throwing and catching passes.


View: https://twitter.com/Rep1Sports/status/833090110551793665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fnfl%2Fstory%2Fnfl-draft-cooper-kupp-ben-roethlisberger-jared-goff-carson-wentz-022117

We spent about three hours during the course of one evening breaking down film of one game in a recent study session, really diving into the ins and outs of the NFL route tree and the purpose behind each movement.

We talked about what we’re trying to accomplish when we run certain concepts, along with the coverages quarterbacks like to see and which they don’t. Being able to think critically and talk all that out —

’Why is this working? Well, because we’re getting leverage here off this safety,’ or, ‘We’re getting this high-low read off this backer’ — is the stuff I live and die for. The way I look at it, every play is an opportunity to learn, so I truly embrace the chance to sit there and be a sponge.

I also enjoyed the time I spent throwing with Carson this past Sunday. After watching film of receivers like Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor, it was fun to get out on the field and try to emulate them the best I could, with their quarterback throwing the ball.

As an added bonus, Nelson was actually out there with us as well — it was a blessing to pick his brain about what he’s seen as an NFL receiver, what aspects of the game he works on and the improvements he thinks we should be pushing for during the offseason.

Particularly, Nelson mentioned the importance of staying in shape and working on the fundamentals all year long, not just during the season. As receivers, our two primary roles are to run and catch passes, so my ultimate goal is to never have to come off the field because I’m tired. I never want to have to take a play off, and even if we’re running 100 plays a game, I want to be locked in for all of them.


View: https://twitter.com/Rep1Sports/status/832717956924649475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxsports.com%2Fnfl%2Fstory%2Fnfl-draft-cooper-kupp-ben-roethlisberger-jared-goff-carson-wentz-022117

Then, in between visiting with Jared and Carson, I also had the privilege of throwing with Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. Big Ben’s reputation speaks for itself, and it was clear from the start that his success over the past 13 seasons is a result of the seriousness he brings to the practice field. When it’s time to work, it’s time to work, and I really respect that in a quarterback.

Ben’s goal, from the second he steps on the field, is maximizing his work. He knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it done. He’s been slinging the football for a long time now and he’s seen everything. He’s worked with every kind of receiver, and he’s thrown every route imaginable.

He’s also seen the issues guys have, and it would have been a mistake if I didn’t try to absorb as much as I could about what makes the NFL’s most successful receivers so good at what they do.

It’s clear that there’s more to being a good pro than simply being talented and productive in college.

For starters, in the NFL every route is a little deeper. The 15-yard bench route you ran in college is now a 20-yard route in the pros, so timing is absolutely critical. Fortunately, when you’re working with a passer like Ben, you can always count on his timing being perfect.

It’s not just, ‘I’ll hit you in the chest.’ It’s, ‘I’ll hit you in the chest, off your seventh step, every time.’ And as a receiver, that consistency makes things easy. You know when you turn your head that the ball is going to be where it’s been every time.

Needless to say, it’s been a pretty cool opportunity for me and the other players out here — from receivers like John Ross, Chad Hansen, Mack Hollins and JuJu Smith-Schuster to quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky and C.J. Beathard — to have the chance to work with some of the best.

I’ve been incredibly blessed to be around these guys and others. I truly believe that everything I’ve learned, both on the field and off, will play a role in my overall development as I work toward becoming the best receiver I can be.

 

[ItsonTavon]

Kupp is our new and best red zone threat!

 

[Corbin]

http://ramsondemand.com/threads/cor...nnouncement-mock-draft-sb-here-we-come.49247/

Does anybody want THE SECSY ONE TO READ YOUR PALM TONIGHT???

 

[CGI_Ram]

http://ramsondemand.com/threads/cor...nnouncement-mock-draft-sb-here-we-come.49247/

Does anybody want THE SECSY ONE TO READ YOUR PALM TONIGHT???

Holy geez, man!

 

[Boston Ram]

Ok guys, I've been out on tour and not able to dig in quite as deep as I would like.

I'm guessing Kupp is more than just a 4.6 40 slot guy with good hands based on RODs reaction....

PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY WE LOVE THIS PICK
(I have zero issues with him being the selection, I just want to know what the hype is all about)

He is a 4.6 guy who when you watch him never gets caught from behind and is more than a slot guy. He is literally the fastest 4.6 player I ever seen.

Not comparing him to Rice but Jerry Rice was supposed to be slow but I never seen him get caught from behind. Kupp is much faster on the field than his 4.6.

 

[RamFan503]

http://ramsondemand.com/threads/if-we-draft-a-wr-early-it-should-be.48985/

Alright... where's the emoji for blowing your own fucking horn? Gotta be around here somewhere. Danny? New emoji - STAT!