With Oregon State University’s academic year finally coming to a close, Brandin Cooks will finally be able to travel to Louisiana to participate in the New Orleans Saints’ organized team activities (OTAs) this weekend.
Cooks, who was taken with the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, is coming off a dream season where he pulled in 128 receptions for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns. Cooks was the feature player in the No. 3 passing offense amongst FBS schools, pulling in 36% of the Beavers’ 4,844 passing yards on 31% of the Beavers’ 413 receptions. The 5’ 10”, 186-pound receiver was also the No. 3 rusher for the Beavers with 32 rushes for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
Being a rookie wide receiver is a tough job. Not everyone will be as good as AJ Green is with Cincinnati or Julio Jones with Atlanta. Sometimes you’ll get a Justin Blackmon, a Jonathan Baldwin or a Darrius Heyward-Bey. The transition from college to pro for a wide receiver is really hard to gauge for even the best scouts, especially if the receiver is expected to become an instant impact player. Many players cannot handle the pressure that comes with being a franchise receiver.
That is why Cooks is walking into a very admirable position. The Saints already have a solid receiving core in Marques Colston, Kenny Stills and Robert Meachem. They also have a tight end named Jimmy Graham. With that crowd, Cooks will likely have a lot of open looks in his first year as a pro.
It also helps that Cooks will be catching passes from one of the best in the NFL in Drew Brees. Brees has been a passing machine all of his career and hasn’t thrown for less than 4,000 yards in a season since 2005, when he was playing with the San Diego Chargers. Brees also hasn’t had a season passer rating below 90 since 2007.
Cooks will also likely see the role of returner for the Saints, a position usually handed to a young speedster on the roster. Cooks ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash and saw some action as a punt returner for the Beavers last year.
Cooks will also benefit from playing in a pro-style offense under Mike Riley at Oregon State. Per NFL rules, players who are still enrolled in school are not allowed to participate in camps that involve them missing classes. In order to not be behind, Cooks has been learning the Saints’ playbook via a nightly online class.
Assuming the Saints do not make any crazy offseason moves (trading Colston or losing Graham with this receiver vs. tight end deal), I holly expect Brandin Cooks to be a solid player for the Saints. It will do him good to not have so much pressure on his shoulders and he’ll be able to thrive in the pass-happy offense of the New Orleans Saints.
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