Prospect Report: Cooper Kupp

[TylerVagyler]

Cooper Kupp - Eastern Washington 
Wide Receiver - 6' 2" - 215 lbs


 

Cooper Kupp has been shooting up the draft boards over the past few weeks, and with a good showing at the combine he could sneak into the first round. However, many people have not heard of him or seen him play. Until the Senior Bowl, I had also never heard his name before. Considering he is one of the greatest players in FCS history it is quite surprising that many are just discovering him. Kupp finished his 4-year collegiate career with 428 receptions, 6,464 yards, and 73 touchdowns. That puts him #1 all-time in each category in both FCS and FBS history (and he's far ahead of the previous record holders). That's right, the career triple crown. Many people will say those numbers are a product of weaker competition, which to an extent could be true. However, in his four games against PAC-12 teams Kupp tallied 40 receptions, 716 yards, and 10 TDs. One of those games was against Oregon, who isn't necessarily known for their defense, but if you need convincing of Kupp's talents go watch that game. The more I watch and read about Kupp the more I am convinced he is one of the best players in this draft. Here is a little breakdown of why I think the Panthers should heavily consider drafting Kupp with the #40 pick (if he's still there).

Hands
Over the past few seasons one of the biggest headaches for Panthers fans has been the amount of drops from the wide receiver group. Cam Newton is in desperate need of a reliable target other than Greg Olsen. Kupp has arguably the best hands in the draft. He runs a lot of quick slants and swallow routes which requires him to be ready for a pass as soon as he makes his cut. Kupp consistently anticipates the pass and hauls it in with ease. Many scouting reports compare his hands and catching ability to Larry Fitzgerald. He plucks the ball and brings it securely to his body without breaking stride in his route. He tracks the ball well and adjusts as needed. He also makes the circus catches look easy. Here are a couple examples:


He we see Kupp working upfield from the slot. The QB is trying to fit the pass in a tight window as the safety notices the middle of the field is wide open. He ends up throwing the ball a little behind Kupp, but that doesn't matter. Kupp realized the throw was behind him and immediately adjusted his body and positioned himself for the catch. He times the jump perfectly and is able to bring in the catch for a TD with the defender draped over him.


This is another impressive catch with a defender draped over him, pulling his jersey as a last resort. Kupp never loses focus and keeps his eyes up toward the ball. He then makes an incredible one-handed grab and secures the ball to his body as he hits the ground.


Route-Running
Perhaps Kupp's strongest asset is his ability to create separation with precise route-running skills. When watching his games you will see him utilize head-fakes, stutter-steps and perfect timing to beat defenders. He mostly lined-up in the slot for Eastern Washington but he has proven he can play anywhere across the field. And while the majority of his routes were quick slants, swallow routes, or screens he definitely has the full route-tree in his arsenal. It is clear he puts in the extra work to perfect his craft. Here are a few examples:


I could watch this play all-day. Just a beautifully executed play by Kupp. Finds the hole in the defense and positions himself perfectly.


Another perfectly ran route. Kupp plants his right leg to the outside, throws a little head fake, and bursts back inside. The defender is completely fooled and gets turned around. This is an example of Kupp's ability to create separation on deep routes despite going against a defender who is faster than him.


Kupp, lined up in the slot, runs a great go-route and has his man beat. However, the ball is badly under thrown. Kupp realizes this and makes a beautiful adjust and makes a perfectly timed catch. You'll notice Kupp often beats his defenders to set up potential uncontested catches, but his QB's inaccuracy brings the defender back into the play. Kupp is still able to complete the play in these instances.


Another one of my favorites. Kupp destroyed Oregon's secondary the entire game, even when they put two guys on him. Kupp fakes out both defenders and leads them inside before sinking his left hip and making a perfect cut to the outside. 


Athleticism/Speed/YAC
Despite what many draft sites will tell you, Kupp is a supreme athlete and possess the speed and acceleration to beat defensive backs at the next level. As you've seen above he uses elite level route-running skills to gain separation. Once he makes the catch is where you start to notice his athleticism. Kupp has great field vision and knows when to hit the next gear which enables him to create big plays out of short passes. As soon as he catches the ball he knows exactly where to go and how to make the defender miss. He also possess a mean stiff-arm and he is not afraid to use it. Watching him after the catch reminds me of a former Panther that we all love, Steve Smith. See for yourself:


This is a perfect example of Kupp's speed. He takes the quick slant and completely burns the defensive back who was initially in a good position to make the tackle.

Here we see Kupp take a bubble screen 60 yards and nearly takes it in for a TD. His speed on full display here, and even though he's caught he doesn't give up on the play. He tosses the defender around for almost 20 yards.


This time Kupp lines up on the outside. He realizes the defense is in cover 2 and lures his man inside knowing that'd leave open field to the outside. Before he even catches the ball he positions himself for the play after the catch. He turns back to the outside and then buries the defender with a nasty Smitty-like stiff arm.


The last example also comes from the Oregon game. Kupp makes the catch and the defense immediately attempts to swarm and surround him. He makes multiple players miss and switches to the other side of the field for a big gain. 


Overall, I don't see much of a weakness in his game. Sure, there are things he could improve on but I wouldn't call any of those things a weakness. Kupp dominated Senior Bowl practices and has been getting more hype recently. As I said before, if he has a good combine he could sneak into the first round, but if he is sitting there at #40 there should be no hesitation in the pick.
 

[CarolinaPride90]

I'll take Kupp or Zay Jones @ #40 without hesitation. 

[gmonjimbo]

I am all for it. Time to replace both Bersin and Brown. 

[top dawg]

1 hour ago, CarolinaPride90 said:

I'll take Kupp or Zay Jones @ #40 without hesitation. 

I like them, but a second round pick is too rich for my blood. There will likely be a few quality players available even at #72 that may not justify taking either Jones or Kupp until day three, but I may consider Jones in the third or Kupp in the  fourth.  

 

Kupp really did face some bad defenses from the PAC-12, and his lack of speed may confine him to the slot (which limits his overall value on draft day).

[TylerVagyler]

14 minutes ago, top dawg said:

I like them, but a second round pick is too rich for my blood. There will likely be a few quality players available even at #72 that may not justify taking either Jones or Kupp until day three, but I may consider Jones in the third or Kupp in the  fourth.  

 

Kupp really did face some bad defenses from the PAC-12, and his lack of speed may confine him to the slot (which limits his overall value on draft day).

I know he's not a burner but he definitely does not lack speed. I think adequate is the appropriate word for his speed. When you factor in his size and elite route-running it makes him a threat. I just don't get it when people try to knock him because of speed issues. 

I do think he'll see a lot of time in the slot but saying he'll be confined there is harsh. And being a slot WR isn't a bad thing and it's an asset we need. Kupp could be used like Jarvis Landry, who spends majority of his time in the slot but is 20x better than anything we have right now. 

One of the PAC-12 defenses he faced was Washington. That's when they had both Marcus Peters and Sidney Jones. He had a great game. And while the other defenses weren't that great they played Oregon when they were ranked top 10 and Oregon State when they were top 25. 

If you value him as a 4th round prospect I think you're in for a surprise when he goes way earlier than that. He dominated senior bowl week and is one of the hottest names right now. If he puts on a show at the combine, which I'm confident he will, Kipp could easily go top 50, if not round 1. 

[AU-panther]

28 minutes ago, top dawg said:

I like them, but a second round pick is too rich for my blood. There will likely be a few quality players available even at #72 that may not justify taking either Jones or Kupp until day three, but I may consider Jones in the third or Kupp in the  fourth.  

 

Kupp really did face some bad defenses from the PAC-12, and his lack of speed may confine him to the slot (which limits his overall value on draft day).

I kind of agree but I'm not sure if Jones will be there in the 3rd.  I agree that there might be better options in the 2nd or 3rd, but I'm guessing most of them might be defensive.

 

[OldNorthPowell]

Wrote about him as the 2nd round pick in my 7 round mock draft for CatCrave.com. He is a legit threat as a wide receiver and he will make some team really happy. Hopefully it is the Panthers but we shall see.

[TylerVagyler]

4 minutes ago, OldNorthPowell said:

Wrote about him as the 2nd round pick in my 7 round mock draft for CatCrave.com. He is a legit threat as a wide receiver and he will make some team really happy. Hopefully it is the Panthers but we shall see.

Just went to the article and saw you had Obi Melifonwu as the 3rd round pick. He's another guy I really like. Would be all about those picks. 

[Mr. Miagi]

I do like him in the 2nd. 

[OldNorthPowell]

9 minutes ago, TylerVagyler said:

Just went to the article and saw you had Obi Melifonwu as the 3rd round pick. He's another guy I really like. Would be all about those picks. 

Yeah I believe they are all realistic even the Cook pick. Just depends on what the Panthers want to come away with in this draft. Nobody truly knows though. I truly believe our offense hurt our defense as much as the players on defense did. It is about time they spent some picks on true weapons to go around Cam Newton.

[CWORS]

I think he will be a good fit with us! I honestly hope DG double dip at the receiver position and pick up Taylor from Western Kentucky as well.   

[SpclKen]

I am actually not a big fan of Cooper Kupp in the 2nd. He does some things very well, but he plays at the slot SO much, he plays more snaps out of the slot that any of the other top 10 WR's in this draft class. He does not separate well against press and man coverage, he does OK against zone, but you really need to excel against man coverage if you play in the slot. There are a couple other things I am not sold on, I think people just assume he can play outside in the NFL because of his height (6'2). Here are my pro's and cons:

PRO

Prototypical Size for an outside receiver at 6'2 215 lbs.

Great stats leading all college receivers in career catches TD's and Yards

Works well in space against zone coverage

Good long speed on tape

Creates separation at catch point, can make contested catches

Good Hands, very little concentration drops

CON

Played primarily in the slot

Played against lesser competition (even in Pac 12 play played bad D's)

Age, he is already 23 years old will turn 24 in June of this year

Played in an offense that created space for him, cannot create space based on athleticism alone (not shifty)

 

My basic takeaway is that he is a slot receiver that can't create space vs man coverage because of his lack of "quick twitch". He does have long speed and aggressiveness, but he is also going to be a 24 year old rookie that played against lesser competition which accounts for his insane production numbers. I do not think he is worthy of a 2nd round pick because of his limited upside. I think he will carve out a nice career as a number 3 or 4 WR, but I don't see a lot of room for growth and he will not be able to separate nearly as well in the NFL. His age is a huge knock for me. I rate him outside of my top 5 WR's and I would like him for our late 3rd or early 4th round picks.

 

 

 

 

[jumpman910]

3 hours ago, top dawg said:

I like them, but a second round pick is too rich for my blood. There will likely be a few quality players available even at #72 that may not justify taking either Jones or Kupp until day three, but I may consider Jones in the third or Kupp in the  fourth.  

 

Kupp really did face some bad defenses from the PAC-12, and his lack of speed may confine him to the slot (which limits his overall value on draft day).

Neither guy will sniff the 4th round. Outside of Davis and Williams they've both shown traits better than a good bit of the wr in field. Both guys are looking at a 2nd round/early to mid 3rd at worst.( Especially if they kill the combine). 

I'm not saying taking both guys in the second is good from a value standpoint but thats the projection that they both showed at the senior bowl,

[Ricky Spanish]

Yeah but is he scrappy and a real Gym Rat? Does he have a "Lunch Pail" mentality? Is he a deceptively fast and a real student of the game?

This is important.