2017 NFL Draft: Will Cooper Kupp Selection Pay Off For Los Angeles Rams?

With the 69th pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected Cooper Kupp out of Eastern Washington.

After trading down from No. 37 in the 2017 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills, it seemed like the Los Angeles Rams felt comfortable enough waiting until the third round to consider a wide receiver. It wasn’t easy making the decision to pass on players with a ton of potential like Zay Jones (Bills) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh Steelers), but the Rams hope the selection of Cooper Kupp turns out to be steal in the third round for a team in desperate need of help in the passing game.

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It always seems risky to consider a wide receiver this early in the draft who spent his college days playing in a smaller conference, but Kupp’s numbers alone show why he was considered a potential sleeper in the mid rounds. The fact that Kupp caught 428 passes for 6,464 yards with 73 touchdowns during his four-year career at Eastern Washington is absolutely ridiculous to think about, and Los Angeles hopes he can be just as effective working with Jared Goff.

The Rams entered the draft with the intention of boosting their receiving corps when considering last year’s group led by Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt ranked near the bottom of the league with the offense only averaging 14 points per game. Just thinking about the potential of Goff and Kupp developing the necessary chemistry to help take this offense to the next level should give Los Angeles fans every reason in the world to be excited about what could be in store for the 2017 season.

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As crazy as it sounds, it may seem like a long shot this early on, but would anyone be surprised if Kupp found a way to be productive than Austin in the Rams’ offense next year? Keep in mind that Austin set a career high with 509 receiving yards in 2016, Kupp seems capable of crushing those numbers in the first half of 2017 alone if Goff helps him live up to the potential.