Rams hope Cooper Kupp’s FCS yards translate to NFL success

No player in the history of college football has ever caught more passes than Cooper Kupp (428). No one has ever gained more receiving yards (6,464). Not a single player has caught more receiving touchdowns (73).

The question now, though, is whether or not the Eastern Washington product can bring a fraction of that remarkable production to the NFL.

The Los Angeles Rams are betting he can. The Rams invested a third-round choice on the small-school standout after selecting him with the 69th pick of the 2017 NFL draft.

Kupp, whose father and grandfather were both NFL players, was a huge factor behind the Eagles’ three Big Sky titles and 41-13 record the past four years. The 6’2, 204-pound wideout spent his first year in Cheney, Wash., as a redshirt before developing into an intimidating downfield presence. His 93-catch, 21-touchdown effort in 2013 set the stage for the most prolific career in NCAA history.

But Kupp didn’t just ball out against FCS secondaries. His performance against FBS opponents shows he’s more than that. His ability to reach the end zone was a huge factor in Eastern Washington’s upset victories against Oregon State (2013) and Washington State (2016) during his college career - two schools from his region that inexplicably ignored him during the recruiting process. His numbers after upper-tier opponents are spectacular — an average of nine catches, 157 yards and more than two touchdowns per game.

Over a 12-game season, that’s 29 touchdowns and nearly 1,900 receiving yards against a primarily Pac-12 schedule. Granted, that’s an overly simple extrapolation, but the point remains that Kupp has generally thrived against high-level opponents. From a purely statistical standpoint, he was better against FBS competition than he was against FCS foes.

He doesn’t have traditional burner speed — he ran a 4.62 second 40-yard dash at the Combine, improving a tad to 4.57 at his pro day — but he makes up for that with crisp routes, strong hands and an almost preternatural ability to pull down passes in traffic. He plucks ball at their highest possible point. He also adjusts his routes well to underthrown and off-target balls, making him an easy bail-out for quarterbacks in distress.

He runs well after the catch, finding seams and cutting back to throw defensive backs off-balance in pursuit. He’s a capable blocker — albeit most often against lesser competition — and protects the ball to avoid turnovers.

But, to reiterate, his biggest strength is making tremendous plays look routine. To wit:

Bringing in Kupp is a risk, especially after his subpar combine. His big performances came against Pac-12 schools accustomed to scoring a ton of points and for whom pass defense is far from a priority. That changes now, in 2017. Will his underwhelming 40 and agility drill times be enough to create separation against NFL cornerbacks?

He’ll also be 24 years old before he takes a snap in the NFL, which suggests he might not have much more room to grow as a receiver. This might be as good as it gets from a physical standpoint for Kupp.

Kupp’s best is still really, really good. Being the most prolific NCAA wideout ever still matters. He spent his last four years roasting defenses, including the ones who a) were supposed to shut him down and b) knew enough about him to base their defense on denying him the ball. He’s always found a way to produce.

He’ll join a receiver chart that now includes Robert Woods and second-round tight end Gerald Everett.