Don’t give up on St. Louis Rams TE Jared Cook quite yet

Nov 23, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook (89) stiff arms San Diego Chargers defensive back Darrell Stuckey (25) during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Jared Cooks Don’t Grow on Trees.

Lance Kendricks and Corey Harkey, backup tight ends of the St. Louis Rams, are both good football players. Whereas Kendricks has 138 receptions for 1,480 yards and 14 touchdowns in his five-year career with the Rams, Harkey has 24 receptions for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns. They also fare well in pass protection and run blocking situations. However, these tight ends are not Jared Cook.

Cook towers over most of his opponents at 6’5 and weighs over 250 pounds. Cook also boasts a 4.5 second 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical jump. Men with those physical attributes aren’t supposed to run that fast or jump that high. He also has the wingspan of a pterodactyl. Ok that may have been an exaggeration, but not by much. Cook has a wingspan of almost seven feet). Let that sink in.

Jared Cook is physically gifted. Jared Cook is unique. Jared Cook is not a normal human being.

I had an opportunity to witness the physical prowess of the monstrous tight end when the Rams were in Oxnard, California to practice with the Dallas Cowboys during summer training camp. It was absolutely incredible to see just how agile and quick Cook could move compared to other tall professionals. A player like Jared Cook is extremely rare.

There are some other fast tight ends in the NFL such as Ladarius Green of the San Diego Chargers, James Hanna of the Dallas Cowboys, and two-time pro bowler Vernon Davis of the Denver Broncos.

However, Green weighs less than 240 pounds and cannot block as well as Cook. Hanna has the height, weight, and speed of Jared Cook, but has had an unspectacular four-year career so far with only 27 receptions for 220 yards. And even though Davis is easily the fastest and most productive of the bunch, he has failed to produce big numbers in 2014 and 2015 at the age of thirty-one.

A player like Jared Cook doesn’t grow on trees. Don’t give up on him just yet.

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