If you’re looking at the wrong things, you’ll miss the point about new Ram WR Cooper Kupp


By VINCENT BONSIGNORE | vbonsignore@scng.com | Daily News

[www.ocregister.com]



As part of their due diligence in digging into Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the Rams requested an official 15-minute sit-down with the record-breaking receiver at the NFL combine in March.

Teams get only 60 such sit-downs spread over three nights in Indianapolis, and considering there are more than 300 prospects on hand it’s imperative for teams and players to make the most of the opportunity.

In Kupp’s case, the experience was, well, enlightening.

As part of the process, Rams coach Sean McVay put Kupp through a series of technical questions designed to get into his head and create a baseline for his cerebral knowledge of the wide receiver position.

McVay may be only 31, but he’s a football lifer who might as well have grown up clutching a playsheet in one hand and a whistle in another.

The pace, cadence and lingo in which he speaks is pure football.

In Kupp, McVay found almost a kindred spirit.

“You felt like you’re almost talking to a receiver coach,” McVay remembered.

Good thing for Rams receivers coach Eric Yarber, then, that Kupp still has a whole bunch of football to play before he starts contemplating a possible coaching career. McVay pointed that out to Yarber, who was barely a month into his new job at the time, as Kupp walked the Rams staff through the ins and outs of playing wide receiver.

“I looked over a (at Yarber) I said, ‘You’re lucky we just hired you man. We might have to hire this guy if he was coaching.’” McVay said.

He was joking, of course. And for now, Yarber’s job is safe. In fact, if Kupp has any say in the matter Yarber might soon be in line for a promotion. But it will be Kupp’s play rather than his words that help elevate Yarber’s profile.

The Rams made Kupp the 69th pick in the NFL draft Friday night and they envision him being a highly productive player in McVay’s offense and a trusted ally of second-year quarterback Jared Goff.

Those 15 minutes in Indianapolis didn’t cinch the deal, but they did shed some light on how a small-school standout who checked in with a 4.6 time in the 40 could put together such a dominant four-year run at FCS-level Eastern Washington.

Including the blowtorch he took to the Pac-12 every time he stepped foot on the field with the big boys.
Kupp finished his career with 428 catches for 6,464 yards and 73 touchdowns, which is a ridiculous level of production on any level.

But he saved a particular slice of savagery for the Pac-12, a conference that deemed him too slow coming out of high school to offer him a scholarship. In four games against Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State, Kupp served up a hefty spoonful of told-you-so with 40 catches for 716 yards and 11 touchdowns.

That’s an average of 17.9 yards per catch and a touchdown every 3.6 times he caught a ball.

If you don’t know what to look for in breaking down what makes a good wide receiver, the numbers probably make no sense considering Kupp can’t out-sprint some NFL linebackers in a straight-line 100-yard dash.

If you do know what to key on – the elite numbers Cooper posted at the combine in the three-cone and short shuttle drills, his footwork at the line of scrimmage, the precise route-running, the grasp of his assignment and the nuances of whatever coverage he’s working against, and his elite pass-catching ability – it makes all the sense in the world why he’s able to produce record-breaking numbers against whoever he lines up against.

“His above-the-neck approach, in terms of the way that he sees the game, it’s almost through the quarterback’s perspective,” McVay said. “He understands that, he understands route distribution.

“Then, I think he’s wired the right way. You can see he’s always got a plan at the line of scrimmage with how he’s going to work versus different coverages and where the holes are in that coverage, and he’s got great hands.

“I think you see a guy that understands the game. You watch him play, you see he’s got those pre-snap plans that, a lot of times, you don’t see. He is one of the more polished college receivers that I’ve evaluated coming out in a while, and that’s why you feel good about him. We’re excited to see how when we get him in that building, and then he’s able to go compete with our players how that translates.”

The above-the-head aspect is a survival kit Kupp began packing as soon as he figured out he wasn’t able to blow past defenders or physically fight them off to create separation.

“Early on when I wasn’t faster than guys, I wasn’t stronger than guys, I had to have something and that’s what I had – I had creativity in my route-running, knowing how to set guys up and get open,” he said. “And that’s something that I saw that my body may not be where it needs to be but I can still create a ton of separation by understanding how routes are run and understanding coverages.”

And even as a wispy high school freshman with no business of actually believing he’d one day play college football – let alone in the NFL – Kupp was laying the groundwork for the possibility.

“I was 5-4, 119 pounds and I had two-pound ankle weights on both ankles,” he said. “And I believed whole-heartedly that I was going to see this day, that I was going to play in the league and perform at a high level. Had to go through a lot of coaches telling me I needed to change my goals for myself. But that’s the way I set my goals, I set my goals laughably high and I want to pursue those things and my work ethic (paid off)”

As the years progressed, 5-4 and 119 turned into 6-2, 204, and little speed turned into good enough speed. In the meantime, the son and grandson of two former NFL players had established a level of work ethic, preparation and polish that, when combined with his emerging physical traits, allowed him to produce at a high level no matter the competition.

“I had to work for everything I got and I learned that at an early age and it was really a blessing in disguise,” he said. “Because I had those traits, I knew what it took to be great and when my body stared to catch up that stuff stuck with me and really created me into the player I have been.”

Granted, had Kupp thrown down a 4.3 40 time to back up all those gaudy stats we’d be talking right now about a top 10 draft pick. He was available to the Rams in the third round because he isn’t an explosive athlete who can take the top off a defense.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t excel playing a role that suits his physical profile and enhances his nuanced understanding of how to play wide receiver.

“I think he’s shown that he can win on routes from width as well,” McVay said, “I don’t want to exclusively say that he is a slot, but once some of those traits and characteristics, in terms of the ability to recognize coverage, be able to recognize if I’ve got an option route, working one way or the other. I think those are some of his best assets and qualities. He’s a football player and we’ll move guys around.”