The Philadelphia Eagles have the 22nd overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and they are suddenly in the market for a wide receiver. Riley Cooper had a breakout season with Nick Foles last year, but he is not a true No. 1 receiving option. DeSean Jackson was. Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks believes he can be.
In fact, Cooks believes he can outperform Jackson if the Eagles decide to draft him as a replacement.
“(Jackson’s) game is unbelievable,” Cooks told Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com on Thursday. “The man can blow the top off, catch the deep routes, catch the underneath routes, produce in the return game. He’s just special. He’s a freak. I definitely admire his game.
“Maybe Chip Kelly is looking to take another speedy receiver in that first round, and that could be me. Who knows? And if that’s the case, a lot of people will wonder, ‘Can he do it like DeSean Jackson?’ In my opinion, I can do it like him and do it better.”
Cooks is one of the best prospects in a draft class that is loaded with receiving talent. He caught an eye-popping 128 passes for 1,730 yards last season with the Beavers. He averaged 13.5 yards per catch scored 16 touchdowns, so we know he can be explosive. Jackson averaged 16.2 yards per reception last year — eighth in the NFL — and has averaged 17.2 throughout his career.
“I put up numbers that nobody else did this year,” Cooks added. “At the same time I was facing premier talent. I have respect for the other guys and give credit where credit is due, but I’m able to blow the top off, I’m able to catch underneath routes and take them the distance, but I see myself right up there with those guys, and in that top-five conversation, top-three.”
Doing it against secondaries in the Pac-12 is much different from producing against NFL defenders. You have to admire Cooks’ confidence, but he has a long way to go before he can call himself better than DeSean.
