Former Eastern Washington star Cooper Kupp making big impression at Senior Bowl
Eastern Washington football fans have seen this before from Cooper Kupp. Now it’s the NFL’s turn.
The former Eagle wide receiver has been the hit of Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama, filling highlight reels during every practice leading up to Saturday’s game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Post routes, corner routs, curls … Kupp seemed to blossom on every branch of the route tree against top-flight competition as he built a resume beyond his record-breaking days in Cheney.
“It’s been exciting,” Kupp said. “Any time you get to come out and compete against some of the best talent and strap up the pads now instead of having to wait until spring ball, it’s exciting.”
“I’m relishing the opportunity and just having fun going out there,” Kupp said.
And the opposing defensive backs? Not so much. On Tuesday, Kupp burned Iowa’s Desmond King on a deep route. A day later, Kupp made a sideline catch that channeled Jermaine Kearse in the Seahawks’ last Super Bowl appearance.
Gushed Mike Garafalo of the NFL Network, “We’re all living in Cooper Kupp’s world, people. The Eastern Washington (wide receiver) is dazzling us with his route running again today.”
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock offered details.
“I like this kid,” Mayock told NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread. “ … He’s fast. He won deep, he won shallow, he beat press coverage. He can win at all three levels. And he gets it. I think he’s going to play and play well very early in his NFL career.”
The ultimate compliment came from Gil Brandt, the former vice president for player personnel with the Dallas Cowboys, who Tweeted that “Cooper Kupp really helping himself at @seniorbowl. If he runs well at combine, possible he sneaks into Round 1.”
No matter what happens in the game itself, Kupp won’t be sneaking up on anyone going into the NFL Combine scheduled for Feb. 28-March 7 in Indianapolis.
Already projected to go anywhere from the second through fourth round of the NFL Draft, Kupp appears to be addressing the biggest knock from detractors: a below-average ability to get early separation.
Michigan corner Jourdan Lewis was the victim on Wednesday, according to a report from profootballfocus.com: “Kupp looked very smooth running routes and getting in and out of his breaks and gave (Lewis) and few problems in team drills.”
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Kupp not only always seems to be open, he consistently snatches balls away from his body.”
The Post-Dispatch also offered this kicker, sure to rile Eastern fans: “Kupp was also a good sport while explaining the transition from small-school EWU.”