Brandin Cooks- WR, Oregon St.

My personal 2014 draft crush is official. While I would love nothing more than Marquis Lee falling to us in the 1st (or far enough so we can trade up with a 1st and 3rd to grab him), I would love to either trade back or trade up to a spot in the top 40 to draft Brandin Cooks.

Brandin Cooks isn't that 6'5 target that everyone wants, but to be honest there aren't any 6'5 targets in this draft that are better prospects than Jonathan Baldwin was coming out and we have him on our roster. There is no Calvin Johnson or AJ Green in this draft, but Cooks has the potential to be a Steve Smith. He has everything it takes to be a successful NFL wr: elite quickness, crisp route running, dynamic athlete, ability to consistently separate, good hands, elite after the catch, good character, well built, solid blocker, consistent production, and confident. This is the athlete/playmaker we've been missing on offense and the type of player we've passed over year over year. Hopefully we wise up and pull the trigger in the late 1st/early 2nd. The fact that he was so productive with a crappy qb situation at Oregon State makes you wonder what he could do with a legitimate qb that can get him the ball in space. He also can add value as a returner.

From CBS Sports:

Cooks really burst onto the scene in 2012 as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award after posting 1,151 receiving yards. Anyone concerned that Cooks' numbers were inflated while playing opposite Markus Wheaton had their fears curbed in 2013, when Cooks won the Biletnikoff Award after leading the FBS with 1,670 receiving yards during the regular season.

Brandin Cooks
5'10, 180 lbs

PS. Most of the below highlights (especially the first 30 seconds) don't do him justice because they only show the separation on under-thrown/late passes, not just how badly he beat his man before the ball got there.

I really like this guy but not as a 1st round draft pick... in my fantasy/delusional world the niners would take a guy like Jordan Matthews in the first (providing watkins doesnt fall into a reasonable trade range) and then Cooks in the second.

Although I do disagree with the Baldwin comment you made, I think Mike Evans is a better version of Baldwin coming out.

Been on this bandwagon all season. Kid put up good #s with another NFL WR on the opposite side of him (Markus Wheaton) and this season when it was just him and D's knew he was Oregon State's only option he put up ridiculous #s. He gets open, makes plays, scores TDs. Who doesn't want that?

Originally posted by 5280High:

I really like this guy but not as a 1st round draft pick... in my fantasy/delusional world the niners would take a guy like Jordan Matthews in the first (providing watkins doesnt fall into a reasonable trade range) and then Cooks in the second.

Although I do disagree with the Baldwin comment you made, I think Mike Evans is a better version of Baldwin coming out.

Matthews and Cooks in the same draft would be a dream come true.

i have seen comparisons to victor cruz for cooks

How would you guys compare him to Tavon Austin? Bigger version but maybe not as fast? As for taking him I wouldn't mind if Landry and Beckham are gone in the 2nd. We just have to use guys like that the right way. Austin struggled with the Rams at first they didn't seem to be using him right but if you can find ways to get the ball in these guys hands your doing yourself a favor. Maybe you have to go out of your way but you just get the ball in their hands and let them make a play.

Originally posted by hofer36:

i have seen comparisons to victor cruz for cooks

Reminds me Antonio Brown of the Steelers.

Originally posted by Travisty13:

Originally posted by hofer36:
i have seen comparisons to victor cruz for cooks

Reminds me Antonio Brown of the Steelers.

Reminds me of a slightly smaller Isaac Bruce.

Love this kid though.

Originally posted by Gore_21:
How would you guys compare him to Tavon Austin? Bigger version but maybe not as fast? As for taking him I wouldn't mind if Landry and Beckham are gone in the 2nd. We just have to use guys like that the right way. Austin struggled with the Rams at first they didn't seem to be using him right but if you can find ways to get the ball in these guys hands your doing yourself a favor. Maybe you have to go out of your way but you just get the ball in their hands and let them make a play.

While he may not be quite as dynamic as Tavon Austin I actually think of Cooks as the more sure-fire receiver prospect. I don't think you have to be overly creative with Cooks to make him productive simply because he is a fairly polished wr and has produced ridiculous numbers for a team that doesn't scheme for him all that creatively. I think if Cooks was in the right college system that force fed him the ball no matter the position (a la Tavon Austin at WVU) we would be talking about him being a top 20 pick. His stock will be highly dependent upon his 40 time. If he runs under a 4.35 I don't think he makes it out of the first round, but if he runs in the 4.4-4.5 range he will likely be a late 2nd round pick.

Originally posted by 5280High:
I really like this guy but not as a 1st round draft pick... in my fantasy/delusional world the niners would take a guy like Jordan Matthews in the first (providing watkins doesnt fall into a reasonable trade range) and then Cooks in the second.

Although I do disagree with the Baldwin comment you made, I think Mike Evans is a better version of Baldwin coming out.

I do agree that Evans is a better prospect than Baldwin... perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration

With that said I don't view Evans as the elite player that's worth trading a 1st and 2nd to move up for. I think we need to treat our 1-3rd round picks like gold to avoid salary cap hell as we will inevitably need to let some current starters walk in FA or retirement (ie. Iupati, Gore, Rogers, Goodwin, J. Smith).

Originally posted by 49oz2superbowl:

Originally posted by Gore_21:
How would you guys compare him to Tavon Austin? Bigger version but maybe not as fast? As for taking him I wouldn't mind if Landry and Beckham are gone in the 2nd. We just have to use guys like that the right way. Austin struggled with the Rams at first they didn't seem to be using him right but if you can find ways to get the ball in these guys hands your doing yourself a favor. Maybe you have to go out of your way but you just get the ball in their hands and let them make a play.

While he may not be quite as dynamic as Tavon Austin I actually think of Cooks as the more sure-fire receiver prospect. I don't think you have to be overly creative with Cooks to make him productive simply because he is a fairly polished wr and has produced ridiculous numbers for a team that doesn't scheme for him all that creatively. I think if Cooks was in the right college system that force fed him the ball no matter the position (a la Tavon Austin at WVU) we would be talking about him being a top 20 pick. His stock will be highly dependent upon his 40 time. If he runs under a 4.35 I don't think he makes it out of the first round, but if he runs in the 4.4-4.5 range he will likely be a late 2nd round pick.

I dont think he drops that far regardless. Top 45 pick IMO regardless.

He is a pure slot receiver that lacks break away speed at the NFL level. Cooks is good in the open field but I wonder how he will get separation against press corners. He runs average routes and is also an average hand catcher.

Looking at a mid to late 2nd grade on him when it's all said and done. He should have stayed another year at Oregon State honestly.

Originally posted by 5280High:

I really like this guy but not as a 1st round draft pick... in my fantasy/delusional world the niners would take a guy like Jordan Matthews in the first (providing watkins doesnt fall into a reasonable trade range) and then Cooks in the second.

Although I do disagree with the Baldwin comment you made, I think Mike Evans is a better version of Baldwin coming out.

My thoughts exactly!

The more I watch this wr class I think there is a considerable dropoff after Brandin Cooks. I see Watkins, Lee, Evans, Allen, and Cooks as the only true first round worthy wr's from a skillset perspective. Neither of the LSU receivers possess the speed and ability to separate that Cooks does and neither were even close to as productive (with a much better qb). Cooks is extremely underrated at this point and come draft day we will all be praying he falls to our pick in the 1st round. People saying Jordan Matthews in the 1st and Cooks in the 2nd need to understand that Matthews is more likely to fall to our 3rd rounder than Cooks is to our 2nd rounder. If Cooks were a few inches taller we would be talking about a top 10 lock. Fortunately height is extremely overrated given how few players actually user their height effectively.

Originally posted by HarbaughzDeep:
He is a pure slot receiver that lacks break away speed at the NFL level. Cooks is good in the open field but I wonder how he will get separation against press corners. He runs average routes and is also an average hand catcher.

Looking at a mid to late 2nd grade on him when it's all said and done. He should have stayed another year at Oregon State honestly.

Totally disagree.... of all the potential first round wr's he ranks in the top 3 in breakaway speed, quickness, and YAC. Cooks is a deepthreat that at minimum will be a key weapon for certain packages and stretch the defense and the potential to be a true number 1 wr with some development. He does need some work on route running but alot of that is due to the fact that he plays with a s**tty qb that never throws on-time and the offense often times just calls for him to run to space. He was the most productive wr in college football and has an elite skillset. Imagine what he could do with some refinement and a qb that can get him the ball down field (not underthrown and 5 seconds late).