Among the notable moves the Los Angeles Rams made this offseason was the acquisition of veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots. The front office has brought aboard one of the league’s dynamic talents at his position.
Since his arrival, head coach Sean McVay has spoken glowingly about the speedy wideout’s ability on the field and his character off of it. During a press conference, McVay made it more than clear that he was willing to part ways with the 23rd overall pick to land Cooks, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN:
Rams coach Sean McVay was asked at a press conference today whether it was hard to part with the No. 23 overall pick for WR Brandin Cooks. "If you told me I'd be getting that player at 23, I'd be throwing a pool party. And I don't even have a pool."
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 24, 2018
These comments from McVay speak to the level of excitement that McVay has about adding a player of Cooks’ caliber to the offense. He is an explosive wide receiver that has proven throughout his career that he possesses game-changing ability on the field in a deep-ball threat and can make a big play at any moment with his speed.
He is coming off his lone campaign with the Patriots where he was highly productive tallying 65 catches for 1,082 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. This put him in the same company as Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown as the only players in the last three straight seasons to notch at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches.
On top of that, cooks is also one of four players in league history put those numbers before the age of 25 joining Hall of Famer Randy Moss (1998-2001), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014-16), and John Jefferson (1978-80). There is plenty of potential for him to step in the Rams offensive scheme and become a primary receiving option in the passing game.
All of this could set the table for him to ingrain himself as a long-term piece to the puzzle that could help be a centerpiece of the offense for the next several seasons. The level of buzz and excitement from the organization about him only further fuels that notion.
