Cooper Kupp vs Josh Reynolds

[Memphis Ram]

I think it's athleticism compared to technical skill. Kupp had the technical skill to beat a variety of people in a variety of ways. Reynolds is athletic enough to be a deep threat consistently. Athleticism can be neutralized, but technical skill always has a chance. But athleticism is shiny and pretty, and we all have difficulty ignoring the shiny pretty things. No offense to you of course, just a general observation about humanity.

At the same time, most understand that it's possible that a player with athleticism can be taught technical skill. But, the technical skill guy can't be taught athleticism.

 

[So Ram]

Good OP @LoyalRam - Before i get down to the reasoning IMO - I like both picks - they compliment each other fantastically.

Ok so here goes:

Kupp - IMO is the most pro-ready WR in this year's class his on-field effort and his off-field prep & training regime speaks volumes of this kid - He wants to succeed. His route running is crips and well developed and hands are beautiful and he consistently finds daylight after the catch - something which is priceless in the NFL. His game speed is fast (faster than his combine times anyway) but I think it's his understanding and technicality is what gets hime the extra yard or two on cover. I have high hopes on Kupp becoming a QB comfort blanket. That dependable guy that will work for the first down.

Reynolds - Has great deep speed and it a rangy guy that gets up there and turns the 50/50 ball into his favour. He'll need to put some work in the weight room to add a bit of strength to compete with physical corners in the NFL, but thats something that can be remedied. He is a little raw I guess and his route tree / running and on-field spacing needs to be worked on, but I think the sky's the limit with Reynolds IF he can put the time in and coach Yarber can get the production out of him. I've read a couple of pro-scouts comment that he could be "the most productive receiver in this class in 3 years" and "in a couple of years he could be the steal of the draft" - but I can't find those reports right now!

Basically:

Kupp - is a matured, solid NFL-ready pro, ready to run and slide right into the starting line-up day 1 - but he may have hit his high ceiling already.
Reynolds - could be that elite #1 guy, in a year or two given the right nurturing to reach his sky-high ceiling.

You draft Kupp first as he's a surer bet to be a success on day 1 whereas, at the moment, Reynolds needs a little time and work to mature into the elite target he could be.

Jay Jones - I really liked. McVay knew he was the pick when The Rams traded with the Bills. Funny how Sneed trades with them all the time .
For The Rams first rd pick Cody Davies was the pick.
--Senior Bowl

Both ran a reverse

Reynolds got caught from behind & fumbled.Was waiting for a hole.

Kupp ran one right after that. A defender had it played in front for a loss. Kupp has serious quick feet & unbelievable vision. Talk about Jerry Rice. This guy has that open field vision you can't teach. Very special trait. He started the game with Kick off return. Caught it on back of end zone & made it to the 29.Took a good angle & vision.
-- Kupp ran a route where he knew where he wanted to go.He doesn't waste time getting to his break or spot. The thing is he doesn't adjust well before his route.He was crossing over the middle & didn't look back. If he turned his head Barr would have hit him for a first down.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I agree @LoyalRam

Seems that Reynolds is the prototypical #1.....able to win 50/50 balls....very good speed. He's a nice kid too.

It will be interesting to see if either of these rookie wrs can contribute this year.

 

[lockdnram21]

I've seen plenty people say they think Reynolds will be better then Kupp

 

[Rams43]

Here's a Kupp facet that will pay team dividends throughout his career, I think.

It's his intangibles. The desire, the football smarts, the perfectionism. He will not be outworked, outprepared, out hustled.

Those things are contagious. Not really byproducts of coaching.

I don't think the positive effects of Kupp's intangibles can be overstated.

It is my belief that Kupp's intangibles will rub off on other WR's and the TE's, resulting in a vastly improved work ethic and effort from his teammates.

Kupp is gonna be a godsend for his coaches, teammates (especially Goff), and we fans. He is the anti Quick. Lol.

 

[bubbaramfan]

I got his new handle. "Suction" Kupp.

 

[Adi]

Im excited about both of these guys and this is the best WR depth the team has had in a long time. Reynolds is a better athlete and has the ability to go up and take the ball away but is not as proven as Kupp. Kupp is going to help out Goff big time, he runs precise routes and will find a way to get open. I think cooper Kupp is the piece this team was missing, he will take over the slot and allow Tavon to run more deep routes and use his speed.

 

[jrry32]

What context do you need? I am pretty sure it was in pads and in play. 21mph in any context is impressive, yes?

I don't know. I don't know where that compares to other players. We don't know if other players had the same opportunity to reach max speed. However, film shows me that Kupp can get over the top of defenses using his skill and savvy, but he doesn't really do it with pure speed against comparable competition. I trust the film.

 

[jrry32]

This is one route that I saw Kupp run that especially impressed me:

 

[DaveFan'51]

Same here Dave.I think you and I like the same type of receivers.
While I like those big play threats at WR and lord knows
we need some.
My favorite kind of WR's are those great route,great hands kind of WR's,
The technician's.
The kind that may not have too many 25yd plus plays.But By-God
if It's 3rd and 8?? He is going to find a way to get open and if it even
looks like it touches his hands.....It's money in the bank!!!
How far am I off Dave?

I like the way you think too. Spruce, to me, is the Type who catches anything thrown his way and then will run right through a defender after he gets the Ball.
And Kupp, just watching his film, he reminds me a lot of B-R-U-U-C-E! That all I can say, he looks amazing to me!

 

[shaunpinney]

He is the anti Quick. Lol.

That made me laugh!

Kupp can get over the top of defenses using his skill and savvy

You can't underestimate his skills at getting open - give me a WR with instinct and a brain and good speed vs an elite speed athlete any day in this sport!

It's his intangibles. The desire, the football smarts, the perfectionism. He will not be outworked, outprepared, out hustled. Those things are contagious. Not really byproducts of coaching.

You have to applaud his upbringing there - his grandfather and father (as ex-pros) must have helped install that in him - he's a born footballer that wants to constantly improve himself AND his surroundings.

I loved this piece I read about him:

"He's a pro on and off the field. Aces across the board," one scout said.

The appeal to NFL teams isn't just what Kupp can do on the field but also the type of player he is off it. One NFL scout I spoke to said Kupp "knows how to be a professional" and "isn't someone we'll have to worry about."

Said one director of player personnel: "He's married, had a 3.6 GPA and scored a 37 on the Wonderlic. What more do you need to know?"

Kupp comes from a small town in Washington called Yakima, where there were two high schools. One, Davis High, was known "more for violence and gang activity than football," Kupp told me. That's the one he enrolled in along with a group of friends who "wanted to change the culture there but also change the community." They also wanted to end a long history of losing seasons. They did it.

"I think a year or two ago, I heard [Davis] has an enrollment of 700 students now compared to 200 at the other school, so you can see how that perception changed," Kupp said.

Let's hope that he can change the Rams into a Winning team!!!

 

[shaunpinney]

This is one route that I saw Kupp run that especially impressed me:

I love the way that #11 (Jaylon Lofton?) just gets frozen and lets him run by him!

 

[Yamahopper]

Kupp creates separation with his technique and small area movements.
Reynolds uses his top end speed.
That is why Kupp was the higher graded prospect. It's harder to defend. A a top end WR like Reynolds is easier because if they get rubbed inside the 5 yards separation is delayed till later in the progression.

 

[DR RAM]

This is one route that I saw Kupp run that especially impressed me:

So much sophistication here...how do you cover that?

 

[Zodi]

This is one route that I saw Kupp run that especially impressed me:

Those red uniforms on that red field hurt my brain.

 

[GabesHorn]

Kupp like Rice = very strong hands . Rice worked with his dad with bricks and even though I hear the small hands crap about Kupp ,his hands are to me his best gift. Only one poster above mentioned Kupp's hands but was done with his other positive traits. We had so many drops last season and for years and to sign a guy with Bruce & Ellard type mitts excites the Hell out of me. Even as a rookie WR I see a contribution because of his freakin HANDS. The suction Kupp comment above was dead on. Goff got to throw with Kupp before the draft. Means nothing . I'm so happy to have our Blue & White Jack Snow on the team. Lets go RAMS!!!

I forgot Kupp had a 37 Wonderlic to Tavon Austin's 7. I think Cooper picks up McVays system quicker than most. No offense meant just positive future first downs.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Here's the question: last year, it looked like Tavon spent more time in the slot to me in three receiver sets with Quick and Britt on the outside (at least when lined three wide to one side of the formation). For a time I think maybe Marquez played some slot when we kept Tavon out wide in three receiver sets. Oh wait, there's a question!

If Kupp shows superior skills from the slot... what do you do in three receiver sets? Do you keep Tavon out wide? And if Kupp is above average, how do you remove him from any 3+ WR formation for Reynolds?

I'm just not sure there will be enough snaps this year in camp or in the season to really find out what we have in Reynolds for at least another year unless Kupp just blows.

If Reynolds is good and not a complete waste, I think the best we see from him this year is some targets on the outside in 4 WR sets.

 

[Ram65]

From the beginning it was Kupp's quick feet. You can see it on the videos. He has the feet shifting so quickly that he has defenders leaning the wrong way with his fakes. I like that he practice on his own feet drills. Thus the great short yard times. He goes as hard as he can on every play. Doesn't have that middle burner speed but makes up for it in so many other ways.

Reynolds was not on my radar till it was mentioned here the day before he was picked. Looked at videos and was impressed by his ball tracking and ability to catch the pass with defenders around him. He looks great in the end zone making catches.

Two different types of players that should complement each other. Kupp with shorter quick routes and sure hands. Reynolds with deep routes, great catches and endzone mismatch. As far as the OP, Kupp is more pro ready and probably more reliable.

 

[dieterbrock]

Kupp vs Reynolds.
Interesting concept.
Good thing we have em both

 

[jrry32]

This is one route that I saw Kupp run that especially impressed me:

Anyways, I had an exam earlier, so I wanted to come back and explain why. If you look at the opposite side of the field, the route combinations are mirroring each other. Accordingly, you can see how the defense is trying to defend Kupp's route by looking at the other side of the field. It's 4th and 3. EWU's offense is pretty predictable. They love the quick outs and slants. The defense is attempting to take away both. They have two ILBs sitting inside to take away the quick slant or spot route. They have the two DBs squatting at about five yards to jam the WRs and then slide underneath them in their hip pocket to prevent the QB from throwing the quick out. The defensive play-call here is actually perfect to stop what EWU's trying to do. They should have had to throw over the top, but Cooper Kupp is Cooper Kupp.

What Kupp does here is beautiful. He recognizes pre-snap that they're squatting on the route and are going to try and jam him. Kupp also knows that they want to keep him from running the quick inside route on 4th and 3. The DB has inside help, so he shouldn't care about the fake, but Kupp knows that a reaction is a reaction (you don't think about it). Kupp comes off the ball and throws a quick stutter at about 3 yards. This is the route depth for a speed cut for a quick slant. The DB reacts to the stutter by stepping in the wrong direction (widening his base) and deadening his feet. This serves both to get him moving the wrong way and freeze him right before he's supposed to jam Kupp. Kupp leverages his vertical stem just a little to the outside to gain him more room to prevent any chance of the DB getting his hands on him. From there, Kupp executes a textbook speed cut on the 9 yard out. After he comes out of his break, he snaps his head and hips around to prepare to aggressively work back to his QB. The ball is a tad inaccurate, but Kupp is still able to make the catch look easy.

Sean McVay said that Kupp always has a pre-snap plan. This is an example of Kupp recognizing pre-snap that the defense is perfectly aligned to win against the play the offense is running. Kupp adjusted how he ran his route to still manage to his offense an easy win on 4th and 3 on a play that the defense won on the white board (if you were to draw the offensive and defensive schemes on the white board, the defense should have won this down). This is a great example of the sort of football IQ, savvy, and techical skill that Kupp offers our offense. He can flip a lost down into an easy win. This is what the Patriots' offense is built around. They have smart WRs who recognize how to attack the defense, which is why they always seem to be open.