Brandin Cooks: Judge Me Not by my Size

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cooksThe next rookie receiver I would like to discuss is the speedster from Oregon State, Brandin Cooks. He is not one of the biggest players at his position (5’10”  and 189 lbs.), however, he is one of the fastest as he clocked in at 4.33 at the Combine for his forty yard dash. I re-watched five of his 2013 games against California, Boise State, Washington, Stanford and Oregon to get a good handle of what he brings to the NFL and the impact the young receiver can create. Perhaps after this article, you will see why I have him in my top five receiver group.

Despite his size, Cooks lines up all over the field – on the outside, in the slot and gets sent in motion often to threaten defenses. More physical corners try to jam him at the line of scrimmage, but he has very quick feet and is quite slippery, so their impact on his initial burst is usually quite minimal at the line of scrimmage. He has a strong enough upper body to hand fight with any defensive back. With this quick release, Cooks excels at getting separation within five yards and most of the corners defending him get safety help over the top. Stanford and Oregon bracketed him with three or four defensive backs at times in their games. This was effective for the majority of the time, but Cooks can take any little opening and turn it into an explosive play. He is scary that way as it is a blend of his speed and agility with his great vision and anticipation. Remember, Yoda said, “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.

The young playmaker accelerates and stops almost instantly (hence the nickname “Sonic Boom”) –  this causes even the best corners issues as he always knows where the play is going. Cooks runs precise routes and uses a lot of little moves to throw the coverage off. He has a stutter step, throws in a few shoulder shakes, opens up his hips, spins around a time or two, or just explodes past his coverage. There were too many underthrown passes that if the ball had been placed in front of him that Cooks would have taken to the house. When the ball got thrown out in front, he would make the catch in stride and create a big play downfield. He is also willing to make the difficult catch in the middle of the field.

Cooks does not let the ball come into his body – instead he attacks the pigskin with his hands. He has good leaping ability and catches the ball at its highest point as well. He tracks the ball well in the air and adjusts his body to make the difficult catch. Cooks has an amazing catch radius you would expect from someone six inches taller. The bigger defensive backs like to take their shots at Cooks while he is in the air, but he never gives up on the ball. Sonic Boom is a more cerebral receiver than many would give him credit for as the wide out reads his coverage well and seemed to enjoy getting into the head of the corner covering him. Cooks concerns himself more with the catch than his health, which is a rarity these days. There are times where Cooks tries to make the spectacular one-handed catch, but he rarely comes down with those, despite his best efforts. If he has to go against CB1s in the NFL, he will struggle as they will be too physical and quick for him, but he will be a matchup nightmare with any team with a true WR1 as he will eventually out-maneuver single coverage.

The rookie receiver has a physical toughness that reminds me of a cross between Antonio Brown and a young Steve Smith. He boxes out his corner when he gets the chance, throws a stiff-arm with the ball in his hands and makes difficult catches with a defensive back in his hip pocket. Cooks got targeted a lot within the first five yards of the line of scrimmage a small bubble screens which take advantage of his burst and quick movement. If a defender did not get a hold of his hips, many times the receiver was gone in a cloud of dust. When a defender got a hold of him behind the line of scrimmage, it was very difficult for Cooks to wiggle away as he mostly got taken down for a loss in those situations. His balance is unreal, as I saw two defenders launch themselves at him knocking him back, but he simply braced his hand on the ground and spun away for a huge gain. If the Beavers wanted a big or important play, Cooks got targeted. In three of the five games I watched, he was thrown to on fourth down five times which is the most I can ever remember witnessing.

Adding to his receiving ability, Cooks is also a good runner on sweeps and reverses. He has a knack for making the first defender miss with his loose hips with the ball in his hands. He takes good angles and reads his blockers well, weaving in and out of danger. Cooks seems to have mastered the art of feeling the cutback lane as he reverses his field in the blink of an eye. As a runner, he does not give defenses much to hit and he keeps his feet chopping while looking more like a running back than a receiver. On rare occasions, Cooks lines up in the backfield and takes quick swing passes catching the defense off guard. Sonic Boom uses these same skills as a dangerous punt returner. It’s his vision and feel for running lanes that makes that possible. The receiver is not an accomplished run blocker, but shows effort getting in front of defenders and staying with them until the runner is well past.

Cooks is more explosive than his fellow Beaver, last year’s third rounder Markus Wheaton and should be counted on as a WR3 in dynasty this season. I envision him growing into a WR2 role within a year. His size is the only thing that may hold him back, but I believe he has enough tools (speed, quickness, lateral agility and vision) to make an impact on your dynasty squad as early as this year.

For further questions or comments, please contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley