20/20: Cooper Kupp

Curtis Patrick Posted On February 12, 2017

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we’ll be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2017 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

1.) Player Name — Cooper Kupp

2.) College — Eastern Washington University

3.) Height/Weight — 6-foot-2, 198 pounds

4.) Birth date — June 15, 1993.

5.) Class — Redshirt Senior.

6.) Basic college stats — Kupp finished his collegiate career with an astonishing 428 receptions, 6,464 receiving yards, and 73 receiving touchdowns. In 2016, the prolific wide receiver posted a line of 117/1700/17.

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7.) NFL Draft round projection — Second round. Kupp reinforced his gleaming production resume with a strong week of Senior Bowl practice.

We’re all living in Cooper Kupp’s world, people. The Eastern Washington WR is dazzling with his route running again today.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 25, 2017

8.) Current NFL comp — Jarvis Landry. Kupp has enough size to play outside, but I believe his best NFL fit is in the slot, running the full route tree, just like Landry. Kupp is noted for his precision, including clean breaks and consistent route depth. He has enough quickness to make space for himself, and enough speed to break a long run after the catch. In the right scheme, he could become a PPR monster. He’s a little taller than Landry and may have more upside in the red zone.

9.) Best possible destination — Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Mike Evans drawing all the attention from opposing free safeties, Kupp would be left alone to work against nickel corners, linebackers, and strong safeties. The Bucs have no true number two option in the passing game and Kupp could fall into 100 or more targets as a rookie.

10.) Worst possible destination — Among realistic landing spots, Philadelphia would be a bad fit. The Eagles do have a need at wide receiver, but already have a similar player in Jordan Matthews. In the Eagles low volume, low risk passing attack, Kupp could be rendered no better than a low upside, third option.

11.) Best current skill — Route-running.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved — Creating separation versus press-man. Kupp didn’t have to face many NFL-caliber corners while at Eastern Washington. Several scouts noted Kupp struggled against physical corners in one-on-one drills during Senior Bowl practices.

13.) Past/current rookie ADP — We don’t have any rookie ADP data yet, so we’ll look at our 2017 class rankings. Kupp checks in outside the top 25 overall and is currently rated at number 11 among wide receivers. He’s ranked as high as WR9 and as low as WR22.

14.) Projected dynasty value — Kupp currently projects as a dynasty third round rookie pick. In a vacuum, he’ll probably enter the league right around the Top 100 cut line. However, draft pedigree and landing spot could work wonders for Kupp’s value. If he gets selected in the top two rounds of the NFL Draft and ends up in a favorable situation, like Tampa Bay, he’ll move up to a second round rookie pick and likely inside my Top 80 overall.

15.) Age is just a number, right? — The scarlet letter on Kupp as a dynasty prospect is his age. He will turn 24 before the 2017 season. If he was a raw prospect, as in a talented athlete without technical skills, this would be an issue for me. However, he was insanely productive and already has many skills other prospects will need to learn at the next level. He has enough polish for me to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his age.

16.) Triple crown — Kupp is the all-time FCS leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

17.) The kid has an arm — Whoever drafts Kupp will have some fun drawing up trick plays. The receiver completed 70 percent of his passes (7/10) for 180 yards and four touchdowns as a collegian.

18.) Keep him out of the bus lane — During Senior Bowl week, Kupp hit a top running speed of 20.7 miles per hour, which was one of the fastest speeds of the week.

EWU receiver Cooper Kupp has been the fastest player for the North Team (20.7 mph max velocity) via @CatapultSports and @RosterWatch

— Reese’s Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 26, 2017

19.) Weight watcher — Prior to the Senior Bowl, Kupp’s posted weight was 215 pounds. The weigh-in of 198 pounds was surprising, but the receiver said it was a byproduct of training for the combine. If he puts the weight back on, and runs closer to a 4.6 forty yard dash rather than his goal of sub 4.5, an alternative player comp could be Deandre Hopkins.

20.) It’s all in the family — Kupp will be a third generation NFL player. His grandfather, Jake Kupp, played for the New Orleans Saints. His father, Craig Kupp, played for the Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys.

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