Brandin Cooks - What's Not To Love?

[junk_monkey]

I don't get to see much college ball so I'm mainly reliant on online scouting and opinion on players (one of the reasons this site is so great!).

So I just read a great piece on Grantland (http://grantland.com/features/brandin-c ... -receiver/) about Brandin Cooks - he sounds like a really smart and dedicated kid who will do what he has to in order to become a success. I understand he's not got the physicality of some receivers, but outside of that why should I not be falling in love with this guy? I'm just entering my first Dynasty League start-up auction this year and thinking he'll be a great target to acquire, but that's just one article by one guy who clearly loves Cooks. So what's his downside? Why would you not target him? What's the catch?

[joeday]

I am partial to WRs that are big personally. I took Tavon at 1.2 last year instead of CP...won't make that mistake again! lol

[Water Buffalo]

You said it yourself: Size and physicality. And that alone is enough to make some people not love him. He's still likely to be a 1st round NFL pick (early 2nd at the latest) and a mid 1st round rookie pick in most leagues though, so it's not like he's getting hate either.

[KMA]

I am partial to WRs that are big personally. I took Tavon at 1.2 last year instead of CP...won't make that mistake again! lol

I know the feeling.

[Needalife]

While I am also in the "big WR" category, I will say that I like Cooks the most of the "shorties." He just looks like he attacks the ball and plays a little faster than Lee, ODB, etc. I've heard the Steve Smith comparisons about playing with a chip on his shoulder and what I see visually supports that notion.

I have (1) Watkins, (2) Evans, (3-tie) J Matthews/Benjamin and (4) Cooks as my next guy. If Cooks goes to PHI or CAR though, he may bolt right up my rankings to at least #3 depending on where the others land.

[guyatwork37]

Alright, so I'm trying to understand the tremendous amounts of love that Brandi Cooks is getting. I get that he is a polished college receiver. I also get that he's in a supposedly good landing place in NO. But he's a receiver under 5'10" with a slight build and that just puts up red flags for me.

However, I keep seeing bandied about that he will fill the Darren Sproles role which is great, but the reason Sproles was so great was that he was a PPR machine in a position that has continued to be de-valued over the years. His best season was 86 receptions for 710 yards and 7 touchdown. While that's great for a RB position, Cooks slots in to the WR position which is loaded with talent, especially in this draft. Even if you give a 10% bump for just being a better player than Sproles, that still 94 receptions (great!) for 780 yards and 8 tds (a little more lackluster). While the numbers are not bad, they are not what I want from the #3 receiver in a loaded draft.

The other size comparison I see is Steve Smith / Antonio Brown, who have had some monster years in Carolina / Pittsburgh, but I don't thin Cooks as a Smith / Brown type of player at all. I may be wrong in this, but that's just my thought on the matter.

I get that he is fast. I get that he is durable and that's great, and I want that in my receivers for sure. But I don't see him as a redzone threat really and I think there are receivers in better situations who are more talented at being receivers. So why the love for him to go at 1.03 in upcoming rookie drafts?

[??Droppedballs??]

Love the landing spot but never been a big Cook fan. I think his value has increased and should be a mid 1st round pick.

[Water Buffalo]

If Cooks gets the stats that you project, 94/780/8, he's in WR2 territory in PPR leagues. I'll take a WR2 with the 3rd/4th pick of a draft any day of the week if I perceive him to be a fairly safe bet to get to that point, and I do with Cooks. That's also assuming zero rushing yards, and I'm pretty confident that he's going to have some of that as well. 780 receiving yards certainly isn't his upside either, though I will admit that 94 catches is a bit optimistic, at least early on.

What I really like about Cooks is pretty simple though: The only thing NOT to like about him is his size. Literally everything else is what you want to see. Blazing speed, elite college production, good hands, history of durability, polished, good route runner, high character kid, highly motivated, gives good effort, young, and he landed in an ideal situation from both a coaching staff and QB standpoint. If Cooks does ultimately fail in the NFL, it's not going to be due to lack of effort or motivation and it's not going to be due to boneheaded stuff like the Gordon, Blackmon and Britt crowd. There's something to be said for that.

As for the whole Sproles thing, I absolutely envision Cooks taking over a portion of those duties, but they certainly aren't the same player either. Cooks will definitely be used more as an actual receiver running a full compliment of routes than Sproles ever was. I don't view Cooks as a gadget hybrid RB/WR type of guy at all. I view him as a receiver that is capable of also contributing in the screen and short passing game and adding some rushing stats on top of it.

Lastly, and this is just as important as anything said above, who else are you in love with in the 3-5 range in drafts? I can understand taking Sankey ahead of him. But a better question might be: Why Matthews/Benjamin/OBJ/Lee instead of Cooks? Sell THOSE guys to me ahead of Cooks. People have been saying for a time now that this draft was "loaded", yourself included, but I'm not seeing it. I see a lot of good but not great WRs and not a whole lot else. Someone needs to be drafted in the 1.03/1.04/1.05 spot, who are YOU taking instead?

[guyatwork37]

In no particular order, I have Lee / Sankey / OBJ in the 1.03/1.04/1.05 spot ahead of cooks. For Sankey, the situation and opportunity speak for themselves especially considering he was a top 3 back in this class.

I feel in love with Lee in 2012 and while last year was a disappointment, I see it more as a situation of a nagging injury and a quarterback committee which won't help any situation. That being said, I think he's a better receiver thank Cooks with a work ethic that rivals anyone in the game.

I put OBJ ahead of Cook as I see him as another polished receiver coming out of college similar to Cooks (not similar in gameplay mind you) but with the added bonus of a couple of inches and 10 pounds.

Hell, at this point I would put Ebron and Matthews ahead of Cooks due to the upside associated with size, red zone possibilities, and team situation. Part of that is because I also hate the WR roulette week in and week out in NO. Obviously these are just my opinions, but they seem to run counter to a lot of people.

[Water Buffalo]

The only thing Lee has on Cooks is 2 inches and 7 pounds. You claim Cooks has a "slight build", but if he has a slight build, then Lee definitely does as well. I like Lee as a receiver and I think he'll be a fine player in the NFL, but his build isn't reason enough to like him over Cooks IMO.

It's easy to say that there's been a "WR roulette" in NO, but who have they really had to throw to? Old man Colston with busted up knees, a mediocre journeyman in Lance Moore and a late round rookie in Kenny Stills? I mean, Jimmy Graham has been the go to guy for a couple seasons now just because they really haven't had any special playmakers outside of him. I despise Drew Brees, but the amount of yards that he throws for with what he's had to work with is pretty astonishing when you think about it.

I don't have a problem with anyone valuing Mathews, Lee or OBJ ahead of Cooks, I can understand the reasoning, but I don't really think it's a stretch to see it from the opposite viewpoint as well. They're all most definitely in the conversation for that 1.03-1.05 range. You asked to be "sold on" Cooks, but it's quite apparent that you've already made up your mind. That's cool, go with your gut. None of us have any special insider info, we're all in the same situation just trying to make our best guesses.

[guyatwork37]

The only thing Lee has on Cooks is 2 inches and 7 pounds. You claim Cooks has a "slight build", but if he has a slight build, then Lee definitely does as well. I like Lee as a receiver and I think he'll be a fine player in the NFL, but his build isn't reason enough to like him over Cooks IMO.

It's easy to say that there's been a "WR roulette" in NO, but who have they really had to throw to? Old man Colston with busted up knees, a mediocre journeyman in Lance Moore and a late round rookie in Kenny Stills? I mean, Jimmy Graham has been the go to guy for a couple seasons now just because they really haven't had any special playmakers outside of him. I despise Drew Brees, but the amount of yards that he throws for with what he's had to work with is pretty astonishing when you think about it.

I don't have a problem with anyone valuing Mathews, Lee or OBJ ahead of Cooks, I can understand the reasoning, but I don't really think it's a stretch to see it from the opposite viewpoint as well. They're all most definitely in the conversation for that 1.03-1.05 range. You asked to be "sold on" Cooks, but it's quite apparent that you've already made up your mind. That's cool, go with your gut. None of us have any special insider info, we're all in the same situation just trying to make our best guesses.

I wasn't trying to be argumentative, but you asked me specifically to list who I would take at 1.3 to 1.5 and why, so I did.

I also specifically listed "That being said, I think he's a better receiver thank Cooks with a work ethic that rivals anyone in the game" regarding Lee over Cooks and made no mention to build regarding those two.

[Water Buffalo]

The only thing Lee has on Cooks is 2 inches and 7 pounds. You claim Cooks has a "slight build", but if he has a slight build, then Lee definitely does as well. I like Lee as a receiver and I think he'll be a fine player in the NFL, but his build isn't reason enough to like him over Cooks IMO.

It's easy to say that there's been a "WR roulette" in NO, but who have they really had to throw to? Old man Colston with busted up knees, a mediocre journeyman in Lance Moore and a late round rookie in Kenny Stills? I mean, Jimmy Graham has been the go to guy for a couple seasons now just because they really haven't had any special playmakers outside of him. I despise Drew Brees, but the amount of yards that he throws for with what he's had to work with is pretty astonishing when you think about it.

I don't have a problem with anyone valuing Mathews, Lee or OBJ ahead of Cooks, I can understand the reasoning, but I don't really think it's a stretch to see it from the opposite viewpoint as well. They're all most definitely in the conversation for that 1.03-1.05 range. You asked to be "sold on" Cooks, but it's quite apparent that you've already made up your mind. That's cool, go with your gut. None of us have any special insider info, we're all in the same situation just trying to make our best guesses.

I wasn't trying to be argumentative, but you asked me specifically to list who I would take at 1.3 to 1.5 and why, so I did.

I also specifically listed "That being said, I think he's a better receiver thank Cooks with a work ethic that rivals anyone in the game" regarding Lee over Cooks and made no mention to build regarding those two.

I didn't intend it to be argumentative.

You can say that Lee is a better receiver than Cooks with a work ethic that rivals anyone in the game, and I can literally say the same thing about Cooks. I think he's equally as good of a receiver as Lee and he has a work ethic that rivals anyone in the game. I also like his situation 100x more.

You like Lee more. What could someone possibly say to sell Cooks to you over Lee?

[Typhus]

Great thread, and appreciate the excellent opinions being shared here. Im going with Sankey with my 1.03, but thats only because of need and I will live with that decision, but if I where considering a WR at the 1.03 its nearly a tie between Cooks and Mathews. I agree with WB about the saints WRs that Brees has "had" to work with, and pass distribution was more of a result from talent level at WR than offensive philosophy, just the way i have always viewed that entire situation as well.
Cooks has crazy skills and is really a perfect fit in NO, and I probably will be regretting not taking him at the 1.03 in time.
Mathews in Chip Kellys scheme will be an immediate impact, and can see him producing similar stats in his rookie year as Cooks.
As talented and deep as this WR class was this year, I really dont think you can be left short by choosing Cooks, Mathews, OBJ, or Lee.. I just see a lot of talent from several top WR prospects this year, and can see all deserving of the 1.03.

[Jimmy Jones]

Cooks reminds me of Randall Cobb and landed in just as good of a situation. NO traded up to pick him at 20 overall so they are invested in him and will use him. Cooks is a stronger version if Tavon Auston and landed in a situation that is 10X better. Austin was a lot of peoples 1.01 last year.

[guyatwork37]

Cooks reminds me of Randall Cobb and landed in just as good of a situation. NO traded up to pick him at 20 overall so they are invested in him and will use him. Cooks is a stronger version if Tavon Auston and landed in a situation that is 10X better. Austin was a lot of peoples 1.01 last year.

I think part of my hesitation is that Austin did so poorly in StL, but you make a good point that StL is infinitely worse than NO.