Rookie Report Card: Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Kupp
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and covering how he’s performed at the NFL level to this point, I’ll actually give him a grade in three categories. Those categories are fantasy performance to date, rest of 2017 fantasy potential and long term fantasy upside.
The series continues with a look at Mitchell Trubisky and Cooper Kupp.
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Mitchell Trubisky, QB CHI
Week 14 Stats: 25/32, 271 passing yards, one touchdown, two carries, five rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
Throughout my time watching quarterbacks last off-season, I struggled to decide whom I liked more between Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson. Although I ultimately decided to give Watson the edge, I was still a big fan of the former Tar Heel.
Watching Trubisky’s college film, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Carson Wentz in college. Tall and athletic with a big arm, he was as impressive as any college quarterback at times in his lone season as the starter at North Carolina. Featuring a smooth delivery, powerful drive on his throws and good accuracy – particularly on short to intermediate throws – I saw Trubisky as strong pocket passer. That passing ability along with good mobility to slide in the pocket or flush to the outside while keeping his eyes downfield and maintaining his arm strength and accuracy made his as intriguing as any quarterback prospect coming out in the last handful of years.
When many were critical of the Bears for moving up in the draft to take Trubisky, I liked the move. Then, I was in favor of the Bears’ decision to have the rookie sit behind veteran free agent Mike Glennon for the first few weeks of his rookie season. I even liked the timing of him being inserted into the starting lineup against the Vikings’ tough defense in week five, when many disliked the choice.
What I haven’t liked however, is how the Bears have insisted on babying their franchise quarterback.
Since taking over as the starter, Trubisky has completed 58% of his passes for 1,508 yards while throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also added 199 rushing yards on 31 carries (6.4 YPC) and a score on the ground.
Overall he’s been impressive as a rookie, showing many of the things that made him the second pick in the draft – despite having his opportunities limited to the extreme at times by play calling.
To most, his performance to this point as a rookie has been good but certainly not spectacular, showing good composure in the pocket and delivering the ball on time while limiting his mistakes. When you look closely however, you see a quarterback that is going through his progressions in the pocket, delivers the ball accurately, on time and without hesitation, and only bails outside the pocket when absolutely necessary.
Although Trubisky is yet to have his first multi-touchdown pass game and is nowhere near being a weekly option for dynasty owners in even the largest leagues, the reason for all of that is simply because John Fox and the Chicago coaching staff won’t give him the opportunity to do so.
That will all change if Fox is fired in the off-season though – which is very possible.
While the jury is still out on Trubisky, his arm and athleticism (as well as his steady – although not outstanding – performance as a rookie) make him one of the premiere developmental quarterback prospects for dynasty owners. In super-flex or 2QB leagues, it’d be difficult for me to trade him away until we see him in a better offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a big leap in performance in year two much like Jared Goff did this year.
Cooper Kupp, WR LAR
Week 14 Stats: five receptions, 118 yards, one touchdown (seven targets)
Cooper Kupp wasn’t on my radar until late last year when “Dynasty Twitter” was abuzz over the gaudy numbers (428 receptions, 6,464 yards, 73 touchdowns) he posted in his four seasons at Eastern Washington. Fans of the 6’-2”, 200 pound wide out raved about his production while critics pointed to the lower level of competition he faced playing in Division I.
After listening to all the talk, I decided to check Kupp out for myself. And thanks to Draft Breakdown, I was able to quickly dismiss the theory that he had never been tested against high end college talent. After watching film of him torch Marcus Peters as a sophomore in 2014 when he faced Washington, not to mention his performances against Oregon in 2015 and Washington State in 2016, I was convinced Kupp didn’t belong in the Big Sky and confident he’d make a splash at some point on Sundays – although I wasn’t sure how long it’d take.
The first thing that jumps off the screen when watching Kupp is his ball skills and killer instinct to attack the football in the air. Whether that means simply coming back towards the quarterback to shield a defender from the football, going up to pull in a high throw, or hitting an extra gear to glide under a deep ball and catch it over his shoulder, it’s clear that Kupp feels he’ll catch every football thrown his way and will do anything to do so. At the point of the catch he uses his long arms to extend and always catches the ball away from his body. Also incredibly savvy, he has a unique ability to lean into his defender on a deep route only to bend back the opposite direction, giving him just enough space to make the catch.
Kupp is also an extremely strong route runner and brilliant after the catch. Routinely getting defensive backs to make false steps at the top of his routes, he uses head fakes and shoulder shakes to gain separation and uses the same jukes to make tacklers miss in the open field once he’s secured the football.
It’s no wonder that Kupp is the career leader in college football history in catches, receiving yards, and touchdown catches. Honestly, after watching his college film, I was surprised he lasted until the third round of the NFL draft – despite his disappointing 40-yard dash (4.62 seconds) and vertical jump (31-inches) at the combine.
Through the first few months of his rookie season, Kupp was a steady contributor for the Rams but no more than a WR4 for dynasty owners – although he regularly showed flashes of brilliance including hauling in passes thrown behind him, turning quick screens into big gains and bolting down the seam to torch slot corners in man coverage. Despite those highlights however, Kupp had more than 65 receiving yards just once (week one) over the first 10 games of his rookie season. It was at that point that leading receiver Robert Woods went down with a shoulder injury though. And Kupp has filled the void nicely.
Over the last three weeks, Kupp has hauled in 18 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. Five of those catches came in week 14 against the Eagles, including a big gain on third and ten early in the second quarter. On that play Kupp lined up in the left slot, ran a simple 12-yard out route, and after catching the ball near the sideline, turned up the field, shook safety Malcolm Jenkins, and raced down the right sideline for a 64-yard pick up.
The play showed exactly how dangerous Kupp can be after the catch. His shake of Jenkins was impressive. The safety had him pinned against the sideline but a shoulder shimmy and quick step out of the move up the field was enough that the safety nearly fell on his back and barely touched him. In case that wasn’t enough to prove Kupp’s worth after the catch, he hit the brakes a few steps later and cut back behind the attempted tackle of cornerback Patrick Robinson, who had the angle on him.
Kupp’s touchdown catch came a few plays later on another third down from the six yard line. He lined up wide to the right and appeared to be running a slant behind two slot receivers but quickly whipped the route back to the outside, caught the pass at the three yard line and extended towards the pylon for the score. It was an excellent route, displaying patience into the slant, sharp change of direction ability with the whip, and good burst to get to the outside and keep the separation his cut created.
Week 14 against the Eagles was Kupp’s best game as a pro but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been impressive throughout his first 13 games as a pro. Although he’s made a few mistakes – including a dropped pass and bad fumble against the Vikings – he’s seemingly gained the trust of his quarterback in a high octane offense which is nothing but good news for dynasty owners.
Although Kupp is still sharing playing time and targets with Woods, Sammy Watkins and others, he’s the clear third receiver in Los Angeles and has the potential to be the top pass catching weapon for the Rams in 2018 if he continues to improve.
Considering the offense he plays in and his excellent ball skills, route running and run after the catch ability, Kupp has low-end WR1 upside in the long term which makes him one of the top trade targets this off-season for those hoping to get a young receiver with big-time potential.
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- League Tycoon: Dynasty Salary Cap Fantasy Football - December 15, 2023
- Final Dynasty Rookie Report Card: Wide Receivers, Part Two - March 22, 2023
- 2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Player Dynasty Review - March 10, 2023
