Greg Cosell NFL Analyst for the 33rd Team paid Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey a huge compliment in his scouting report when he compared him to Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp
“The more I evaluated McConkey, the more I thought of Cooper Kupp when he came out of Eastern Washington,” Cosell writes, “a refined route runner with an innate feel for breaking down corners and finding voids in zone coverage. (Remember, Kupp was a small school receiver who ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash with a 1.62-second 10-yard split at the combine.) “
Comparing Cooper Kupp to Ladd McConkey
While the two receivers share those abilities they are not an apples-to-apples comparison. Cosell points out Kupp’s 40 time. McConkey blew Kupp out of the water in that respect with 4.39 40 and a 1.52 10-yard split. He also outperformed Kupp in the broad and vertical jump. McConkey has a 36″ vertical and 10’4″ broad. Kupp were 31″ and 9’8″.
Kupp was also significantly bigger when he was drafted, 6’2″ and 204 lbs. McConkey is 5’11” and 187 lbs.
Statistically, Kupp was ultra-productive in college. McConkey was not. Kupp played 52 games over 4 seasons. In each year he caught for over 1400 yards and averaged over 100 receptions and 18 touchdowns per season. McConkey caught 119 passes for 1687 yards and scored 14 touchdowns total in 39 games.
Cooper Kupp Saves The Day And Wins Super Bowl MVP
In his analysis, Cosell lists McConkey’s weaknesses as ‘none.’ That wasn’t the case for Kupp coming out of college. NFL Network draft analyst, Lance Zierlein graded Kupp at 6.20 and said he would eventually be an average starter and compared him to Jarvis Landry. Zierlein grades McConky slightly better than Kupp, 6.37, and will eventually be a plus starter.
Draft Stock
Kupp went in the 3rd round to the Los Angeles Rams. McConkey’s stock has risen dramatically after his performance at the Senior Bowl and after the combine. Late last year he was thought of as a late 3rd rounder. Now the mock draft consensus has him going early in the 2nd round, with some draftniks giving him first-round grades.
If Cosell is right in his comparison, the first round is certainly where a team should take him.
