Cooper Kupp earning spot on NFL’s 10 most important players adds pressure

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was recently named on Bleacher Report’s list of top 10 most important players heading into the 2019 season.

During the 2017 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams seemed to feel extremely confident in Cooper Kupp having the potential to be a steal after selecting the former Eastern Washington star in the third round.

While there were some concerns over whether Kupp would struggle making the adjustment to the NFL after playing at a smaller school in college, the wideout wasted little time making a serious impact for the Rams in the passing game.

In fact, Kupp quickly became one of those players who looked more like a veteran instead of a rookie during the 2017 season after hauling in 62 catches for 869 yards to go along with five touchdowns.

All of a sudden, Jared Goff seemed to have a new reliable target to work with in Kupp. And when taking into consideration that Kupp will be part of a trio for years to come playing alongside Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, Los Angeles should remain a top contender in the NFC from their offense alone.

With that being said, words can’t even described how crushing it was to watch Kupp’s season cut short during his sophomore campaign after a Week 10 battle with the Seattle Seahawks resulted in the wideout suffering a torn ACL.

Even if Josh Reynolds stepped up on a few occasions for the offense, the receiving corps just didn’t look the same without Kupp part of the mix, and while all signs point to him being ready to go for Week 1, plenty could change from now until September.

Recently, the folks at Bleacher Report put together a list of the most important players heading into the 2019 season with a different approach by focusing on individuals whose impact could determine the success of their team.

Does this mean it was fair for Kupp to come in at No. 8 on the list? As crazy as it sounds, this seems like the perfect spot to place Kupp since his presence alone makes a huge difference for the Rams on offense, but also puts additional pressure on the wideout.

Kupp has already been making great progress this offseason to the point where it would almost seem like a complete shock if he didn’t suit up in Week 1, but these next two months will be extremely important for both parties.

As much as Los Angeles wants nothing more than to see Kupp return to his normal ways on offense, they also realize the importance of making sure they don’t rush the process, and work him too hard to the point where he suffers a setback.

So while it was great to see Bleacher Report recognize the skill set of Kupp as a player, and point out what kind of difference this Rams’ offense can be with him in the lineup, it also brings extra pressure to the table, which no one ever wants.