Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 204 lbs.
Arms: 31 1/2”
Hands: 9 1/2”
Vertical: 31”
40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
One of the players there seems to be a major divide on entering the draft is Kupp, and when watching his tape, it’s easy to see why. He dominates the competition, gets targeted a ton, and is a grinder. But was it the competition that made him look better than he actually is? His solid performance at the Senior Bowl was enough for some to overlook his weak competition.
If you were to watch the NFL Combine on TV, you would have witnessed former player Steve Smith talking about Kupp, saying that he’s his favorite wide receiver in this class. When hearing that, you want to find reasons to like him. For that reason, I took some extra time when watching Kupp’s tape. But the problem remains, he played the equivalent of the Browns pass defense every week.
His measurables match his tape pretty well, as Kupp looks rather sluggish for a slot wide receiver. He was able to get open due to his intelligence. When talking about a player like Kupp, you can’t overlook his understanding of a defense. He knows how to find the soft spot on the defense and once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s hard to tackle. Once he gets going, his speed will do, but it’s not one of his strengths.
Kupp’s hands might be his best attribute, as he’s a natural hands catcher. There were times when watching him where he didn’t appear to be ready for a ball on a quick slant route, but he’s typically sure-handed. Once he catches the ball, he tucks it away relatively quick, a quality that is required out of the slot. He also comes back to the ball if needed, helping out his quarterback. His route running is nothing spectacular and he has difficulty beating strong man coverage, which would lead me to believe he won’t be used as a perimeter receiver in the NFL.
One of the areas that often go overlooked in wide receiver evaluations is their willingness to block, and Kupp has no problem doing so. He often finds his blocking assignments and gets his hands on them, which can help a team who runs the ball a lot. Kupp is definitely one of those players with a non-stop motor and one who will help make a difference on special teams immediately. Bottom line, Kupp isn’t the most physically gifted wide receiver, but he’ll never leave you wondering if you got everything he had.
Potential landing spot
If the Patriots hadn’t just traded for Brandin Cooks, I would have said the Patriots are the ideal landing spot, but here we are. Thinking about a team with a void at the slot position, the Bills are atop the list after losing Robert Woods this offseason. Kupp would be a good compliment to Sammy Watkins, helping draw some attention to the middle of the field. Their current depth chart behind Watkins is Corey Brown, Andre Holmes, Walter Powell, and Dezmin Lewis.
NFL comparison
When watching Kupp he reminds me of a bigger, though slower version of Julian Edelman. They are both high-motor guys who don’t have the athletic skills to win all the time, but they’ll outwork their opponent. They both have strong hands and are guys you don’t want to tackle in the open field as a defensive back. If you get a smart player like Kupp who can catch the ball with a defender in close proximity tied to a good quarterback, he’ll produce in the NFL. If he doesn’t wind up with an accurate quarterback, the doubters will win this argument.
To read up on some of the other high-profile NFL Draft prospects, check out the links below:
Corey Davis – (WR, Western Michigan)
Mike Williams – (WR, Clemson)
John Ross – (WR, Washington)
Taywan Taylor – (WR, Western Kentucky)
JuJu Smith-Schuster – (WR, USC)
Chris Godwin – (WR, Penn State)
ArDarius Stewart – (WR, Alabama)
Carlos Henderson – (WR, Louisiana Tech)
Chad Hansen – (WR, California)
Zay Jones – (WR, East Carolina)
Isaiah Ford – (WR, Virginia Tech)
Ep. 72: Dynasty Rookie Draft
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
