Cooper Kupp

Cooper Kupp
No. 18 – Los Angeles Rams
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-15) June 15, 1993
Yakima, Washington
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school: Davis (Yakima, Washington)
College: Eastern Washington
NFL Draft: 2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 69
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2018
Receptions: 92
Receiving yards: 1,307
Receiving touchdowns: 10
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington and received All-America honors. Kupp was drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Early years

Kupp was born in Yakima, Washington. Kupp attended and graduated from Davis High School in Yakima in 2012 where he was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball for the Pirates athletic teams.[1] A two-way All-State selection, he earned first team 4A All-State honors as a defensive back and honorable mention accolades as a wide receiver from the Associated Press, as selected by sportswriters and broadcasters. Kupp was also named by the Seattle Times as a "White Chip" selection, as one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Washington.[2]

Kupp was a unanimous first-team All-Columbia Basin Big Nine League wide receiver and defensive back at Davis. He finished his senior season with 60 receptions for 1,059 yards (17.7 per catch) and 18 touchdowns, and scored 22 total touchdowns to set a school record. He also had 11 rushes for 122 yards and two touchdowns as he helped Davis come one game away from a berth in the Washington State 4A Playoffs.[2]

Kupp finished his prep career with 110 catches for 2,100 yards. He was also a three-year letter winner in basketball. He led Davis to a 23–2 record and won the State 4A Tournament championship during his senior year for the Pirates.[2]

College career

2013 season

Kupp attended Eastern Washington University, where he signed to play for coach Beau Baldwin's Eastern Washington Eagles football team in 2012 and redshirted that year. Kupp would eventually be named Eastern's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year.[2] In 2013, Kupp entered his redshirt freshman year as a starter at wide receiver. Kupp finished the season having set numerous single-season school and national receiving records at the Football Championship Subdivision Level. Kupp has set national freshman records for receiving yards (1,691), total touchdown catches (21), consecutive games with a touchdown catch (14), and receptions (93).[3][4]

On November 26, 2013, Kupp was named to the All-Big Sky Conference First Team as a unanimous selection and was also the recipient of the conference's first-ever Freshman of the Year Award.[5]

On December 16, 2013, Kupp was named the recipient of the 2013 Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman player in the FCS. Kupp is the first Eastern Washington player and first player from the Big Sky Conference to receive the award.[6]

Kupp was named a consensus first-team All-American, having been honored by the four major selectors at the FCS level, consisting of the American Football Coaches Association,[7] the Associated Press,[8] The Sports Network[9] and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[10] Kupp was the first freshman wide receiver to be named as a first-team All-American since Randy Moss in 1996.[9]

On January 9, 2014, Kupp was honored by the College Football Performance Awards with the 2013 FCS Wide Receiver Award. Kupp is the second straight Eagles wide receiver to win the award, following Brandon Kaufman, who won the 2012 award.[11]

2014 season

Kupp finished his sophomore season with 104 catches for 1,431 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 games.[12] He was named a First-Team All-American by the AFCA, AP, and TSN for the second consecutive season. He was also named to the first team All-Big Sky Conference for the second straight year as a wide receiver while also earning third team honors as punt returner. Kupp finished 18th in the 2014 Walter Payton Award voting.[13]

2015 season

In the 2015 season, Kupp finished the season with 114 catches for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdown in 11 games.[14] Kupp broke the Big Sky single-season record for catches with 114, a total that ranks ninth most all-time in FCS single-season history. Kupp was named a first team All-Big Sky Conference wide receiver for the third-straight year and was also named the league's Offensive Most Valuable Player. He was just the second wide receiver to be named Big Sky Offensive MVP in the last 42 years. In addition, Kupp won the Walter Payton Award, becoming the third Eastern Washington player to win the award and only the second wide receiver to win, after Brian Finneran of Villanova in 1997.

2016 season

On November 30, 2015, Kupp announced that he would return for his senior season after speculation that he was considering entering the 2016 NFL Draft.[15] He was poised to break nearly every major FCS career receiving record mark during his final collegiate season. In the 2016 season, he finished with 117 receptions for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.[16] At the end of his career, his 6,464 career receiving yards are most in FCS history, passing Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who had 4,693 at Mississippi Valley State from 1981–1984. Kupp's 73 receiving touchdowns rank first in FCS history, passing the 58 touchdowns that New Hampshire's David Ball caught from 2003–2006.[17]

College statistics

All statistics from goeags.com[18]

YearTeamGamesReceptionsYardsTouchdowns
RECREC/GYDSYD/GAVGTDLG
2013Eastern Washington 15936.21,691112.718.22163
2014Eastern Washington 131048.01,431110.113.81661
2015Eastern Washington 1111410.41,642149.314.41978
2016Eastern Washington 131179.01,700130.714.51775
Total524288.46,464125.714.97378

College awards and honors

  • College football all-division career leader in receiving yards (6,464)
  • NCAA FCS career leader in receiving touchdowns (73) and receptions (428)
  • Walter Payton Award (2015)
  • STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year (2015)
  • Jerry Rice Award (2013)
  • 2x Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year (2015–16)
  • Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year (2013)
  • 2x College Football Performance Awards FCS Wide Receiver Award (2013, 2015)
  • 4x First-team FCS All-American (AFCA, AP, STATS) (2013–16)
  • 3x First-team FCS All-American (WCFF) (2013, 15–16)
  • 2x First-team Division I Academic All-American (CoSIDA) (2015–16)
  • Second-team Division I Academic All-American (CoSIDA) (2014)
  • 4x First-team All-Big Sky Conference Wide Receiver (2013–16)
  • Second-team All-Big Sky Conference Punt Returner (2016)
  • Third-team All-Big Sky Conference Punt Returner (2014)

Professional career

Kupp attended the 2017 Senior Bowl and made two receptions for 14 receiving yards for the North, who lost 16–15 to the South.[19] Kupp's performance at the Senior Bowl elevated his draft stock.[20] NFL analyst Bucky Brooks stated Kupp was the top perfomer at the Senior Bowl. Kupp attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed all the combine drills except for the bench press.

External video
Brooks "Kupp was the top perfomer"
Cooper Kupp's NFL Combine Workout
Cooper Kupp runs the 40-yard dash

On March 28, 2017, he opted to participate at Eastern Washington's pro day along with Jordan West, Shaq Hill, Samson Ebukam, Kendrick Bourne, and Miquiyah Zamora.[21] He attempted all of the combine drills, but opted to skip the bench press and broad jump. Kupp shortened his time in the short shuttle to 6.53s and performed positional drills for scouts and team representatives. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kupp was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.[22] He was ranked the eighth best wide receiver in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[23]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 204 lb
(93 kg)		 31 1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 9 1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.62 s 1.62 s 2.69 s 4.08 s 6.75 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)
All values from NFL Combine[22][23]

2017

The Los Angeles Rams selected Kupp in the third round (69th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[24] Kupp was the seventh wide receiver drafted in 2017 and became the second highest pick in Eastern Washington's school history, only behind Michael Roos who was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft (second round, 41st overall).[25][26] He was reunited with Eastern Washington teammate Samson Ebukam after the Rams selected him in the fourth round (125th overall).[27]

External video
Rams draft Cooper Kupp 69th overall
Mayock "Kupp has great hands and speed"

On June 9, 2017, the Los Angeles Rams signed Kupp to a four-year, $3.83 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $954,760.[28][29][30]

He competed with Tavon Austin, Robert Woods, Mike Thomas, Bradley Marquez, Pharoh Cooper, and Josh Reynolds throughout training camp for vacant starting wide receiver role after Kenny Britt departed in free agency.[31] Head coach Sean McVay named Kupp the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart behind Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and Tavon Austin.[32]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Los Angeles Rams' season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts and recorded four receptions for 76-yards and a touchdown. Kupp caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff, marking the first of his career during the Rams' 46–9 victory.[33] On October 1, 2017, Kupp made five catches for 60 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Rams 35–30 win over the Dallas Cowboys.[34] During a Week 7 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, he caught four passes for 51-yards and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the Rams' 33–0 victory.[35] After the Rams' 51–17 victory over the New York Giants, Kupp was named Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team. Through the first seven games, Kupp led the Rams in read-zone targets with 11 and developed as Jared Goff's top receiver in the red-zone and third downs. He was fourth in the entire NFL in red zone targets behind leaders Davante Adams, Larry Fitzgerald, and Dez Bryant who were tied with 20 red zone targets each.[36] On November 12, 2017, he made a then season-high six receptions for 47 receiving yards in a 33–7 victory over the Houston Texans.[37][38] During Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, Kupp posted his first career game with over 100 receiving yards, where he finished with 116 receiving yards as the Rams won 26–20.[39] In Week 14, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he finished with five receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.[40] Kupp finished his rookie season in 2017 with 62 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.[41]

The Los Angeles Rams finished first in the NFC West with a 11–5 record.[42] On January 6, 2018, Kupp appeared in his first career playoff game and made eight receptions for 69-yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 26–13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Wild Card Game.[43]

2018

Head coach Sean McVay named Kupp a starting wide receiver in 2018. He started alongside Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks.[44] On September 27, 2018, Kupp caught nine passes for 162 receiving yards and two touchdowns during a 38–31 win against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. This marked Kupp's first multi-touchdown game of his career.[45]

NFL statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGGSRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2017LAR 1566286914.064511
2018LAR 442131214.9703----
Total191083118114.270811

Postseason

YearTeamGGSRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2017LAR 108698.6151----
Total108698.615100

Personal life

Kupp is the son of former National Football League quarterback Craig Kupp, a fifth-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1990 out of Pacific Lutheran University who played for the Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys in 1991.[46]

His grandfather, Jake Kupp, was an offensive lineman for the University of Washington and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played from 1964–75 as a guard with Dallas, the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints. Named to the NFL All-Rookie team, he later was a five-time captain for the Saints. He was named to the franchise's 25-year All-Time Team and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1991.[46]

Kupp developed a relationship with Rams' quarterback Jared Goff while living with him for few weeks after the draft. They practiced on their own time together, watched film, studied defensive schemes, and learned the playbook. The two's relationship is comparable to that of quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Julian Edelman, who first developed a relationship when Edelman flew to California during the off season so Brady had a teammate to practice and run plays with and a person to throw to.[47][48]

Kupp is a devout Christian.[49]

While attending Eastern Washington University, Kupp met his girlfriend and future wife, Anna Croskery. The couple married in June 2015.[50]

References

  1. ↑ "Davis grad, EWU All-American Cooper Kupp picked in third round of the NFL draft by Rams". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Official Eastern Washington Eagles Cooper Kuff bio". Eastern Washington Eagles Athletics. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Eagles flying Big Sky high". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Cooper Kupp 2013 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  5. ↑ "Adams and Kupp take top Big Sky honors, 25 Eags named All-Conference". KREM.com. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ "EWU's Cooper Kuff wins Rice Award". spokesman.com. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ "AFCA Honors T.J. Lee III and Cooper Kupp on Prestigious All-America Team". swxrightnow.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ "AP FCS All-America Team, List". sacbee.com. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "In the FCS Huddle: FCS All-America team shines on star power". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Eastern Washington, two wins from national title, has two players atop football All-American list". seattletimes.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Vernon Adams and Cooper Kuff Receive Top Honors from College Performance Awards". Eastern Washington Eagles Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Cooper Kupp 2014 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  13. ↑ http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/writers/infcshuddle/archive/haley_12_02_2014.htm
  14. ↑ "Cooper Kupp 2015 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  15. ↑ Allen, Jim (November 30, 2015). "Cooper Kupp says he'll be back at EWU for senior season". spokesman.com. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Cooper Kupp 2016 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  17. ↑ "Rams select Eastern Washington's Kupp". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  18. ↑ "EWU Football Statistics – 2015". goeags.com. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Senior Bowl 2017: North roster". seniorbowl.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  20. ↑ Goodbread, Chase (January 25, 2017). "Cooper Kupp among Senior Bowl players making 1st-round push". NFL.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  21. ↑ Allen, Jim (March 28, 2017). "Former Eastern Washington stars chase NFL dreams on Pro Day". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  22. 1 2 "NFL Draft Profile: Cooper Kupp". NFL.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Cooper Kupp, DS #8 WR, Eastern Washington". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  24. ↑ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  25. ↑ "East. Washington Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  26. ↑ "Annual Pro Day Features Six Eagles, Including Kupp". goeags.com. March 28, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Former Eastern Washington football star Cooper Kupp quickly impresses Los Angeles Rams". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  28. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Cooper Kupp contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ Bain, Nate (April 28, 2017). "Rams Select WR Cooper Kupp in Round 3". TheRams.com.
  30. ↑ Klein, Gary (June 9, 2017). "Rams sign tight end Gerald Everett, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and safety John Johnson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  31. ↑ "Ourlads.com: Los Angeles Rams' depth chart: 08/01/2017". Ourlads.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  32. ↑ DaSilva, Cameron (September 5, 2017). "Rams release first depth chart of regular season". USA Today. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  34. ↑ "Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys - October 1st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  35. ↑ "Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams - October 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  36. ↑ Beller, Michael (October 25, 2017). "Fantasy Football Target and Snap Report: Randall Cobb Struggling to Maintain Relevance". si.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams - November 12th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  38. ↑ "NFL Player stats: Cooper Kupp 2017". Nfl.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  39. ↑ "New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams - November 26th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  40. ↑ "Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams - December 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  41. ↑ "Cooper Kupp 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  42. ↑ "2017 Los Angeles Rams Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  43. ↑ "Wild Card - Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams - January 6th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  44. ↑ DaSilva, Cameron (September 4, 2018). "Rams Week 1 depth chart: Kelly is No. 4 RB, Littleton starting next to Barron". USA Today. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  45. ↑ "NFL Game Center: Week 4-2018: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams". NFL.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  46. 1 2 "Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp lives for Christ while shining on the football field". Sports Spectrum. 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  47. ↑ "NFL 360: Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp - The Roommates". dailymagazine.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  48. ↑ Traina, Jimmy (November 8, 2017). "Julian Edelman On Tom Brady: 'Just One Of The Dudes'". SI.com. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  49. ↑ Buehring, Tom. "NFL Draft Pick Cooper Kupp Prepares for Impactful Career". 1.cbn.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  50. ↑ Allen, Jim (November 11, 2016). "Marriage, faith and family ties strengthen Eagles WR Cooper Kupp's ability to bring people together". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
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