Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp wasn't recognized as a highly-touted prospect during the 2017 draft process. Although his overall numbers with Eastern Washington were eye-popping -- he racked up 6,464 yards with 73 touchdowns in 52 games -- the stigma surrounding FCS schools and their level of competition existed. He also produced average combine results.
But the Rams' third-round selection of Kupp has paid huge dividends. And his former college coach, Beau Baldwin, believes that other teams didn't properly evaluate Kupp's on-field abilities and makeup. Too much reliance on the NFL's flawed combine drills and antiquated talent evaluation.
"The FCS level is one thing. But usually [teams] can look to the Pac-12 games we played in, and see that he was productive against the highest level, too," Baldwin told The DA Show on Tuesday. "Power Five conference every time we went up against them. But the biggest one was, 'We'll see what he runs.' My argument was, I get it if you don't think he's fast enough. But why do you have to wait to make that assessment to see him in spandex running a 40?
"If you don't think he's fast enough, you don't think he's fast enough. But I've always hated the idea that, 'We'll see what he runs at the combine before we decide if he's fast or not.' I don't like that philosophy on evaluating someone's speed... A lot of people can set up and train to run that great 40. But you see it over and over. It doesn't translate to consistent football speed, on-the-field speed, and especially speed when you're tired, late in games."
Kupp's 2021 campaign has been historic. In early January, he became just the fourth player during the Super Bowl era to capture the receiving triple-crown, and the 28-year-old is also the first receiver in NFL history to have 2,000-plus yards in a single season, including playoffs. On Sunday, Kupp racked up 142 yards on 11 receptions with two touchdowns in the Rams' NFC title game win.
Los Angeles will technically host the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Rams currently have a 68-percent chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
The entire conversation between Baldwin and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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