Getty Cooper Kupp entered the league considered a slow, small-school wide receiver from the FCS level. But in a June 14 interview with The Athletic, the man who helped draft him, former Rams scout and new Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes, saw an explosive wideout.
Cooper Kupp celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday. But if it weren’t for what a former Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting saw in a thin, slow wide receiver from Eastern Washington before the 2017 Senior Bowl, the world likely wouldn’t have known about a future third round steal.
Brad Holmes, who is now the general manager of the Detroit Lions, spoke one-on-one with The Athletic’s Chris Burke on June 14 about how he went about his scouting process in identifying the dominant Football Championship Subdivision wideout.
Kupp entered the Mobile, Alabama, showcase measuring in as a 6-foot-1, 198-pound target. He put up astronomical stats at the FCS level: 428 receptions, 6,464 yards and 73 touchdowns. But, there were two dilemmas Kupp faced before going against talent from the Power Five conferences and other Football Bowl Subdivision programs: His reported 40-yard dash time of 4.6 and his level of competition.
But as Holmes described it to Burke: “He looked explosive.”
Holmes Used GPS Data to Find ‘The Best Player on the Field’
Holmes spent 2013-2020 with the Rams running the scouting department. The man credited for helping the Rams draft Aaron Donald, Tyler Higbee and Todd Gurley looked past Kupp’s 40 time and FCS competition. He instead looked at things from the GPS data perspective, telling Burke:
“I’ve told the Cooper Kupp story — that’s more of cognitive bias, in terms of just every time you saw him play football, the guy was good, you liked him. But I remember we saw him at the Senior Bowl, he was the best player on the field. Nobody can cover this dude. He looked explosive. And his shuttle and all that kind of reflected that, but his 40 time was in the 4.6s. He did it at the combine and at the pro day, so the last thing in your head was that 4.6.”
Holmes looked closely at Kupp’s peak game speed, average game speed, average distance covered and peak acceleration — all metrics used in determining a player’s overall speed from the GPS perspective. Holmes discovered Kupp played faster in pads than in shirts and shorts, telling Burke:
“I’ll never forget, it came out that his GPS time at the Senior Bowl was the fastest. So, it’s like, ‘OK, now that makes sense.’ But it was because he was playing football. He looked fast, he looked explosive on the football field. In tights, on that Eastern Washington track, it didn’t look fast.”
What likely also helped Kupp’s draft status in Mobile was his confidence. He shared this in a January 26, 2017 interview with ESPN’s Mike Triplett:
“I believe in myself. I believe in the player that I am. And ultimately I believe I was made to play this game, that God created me to be great at this thing. So I’ve put in that time, I’ve put in the work to make sure I’m the best that I can be. And being as I have that belief in myself and know where my identity lies, I know I can step on the field here and play with anyone.”
After the Senior Bowl
Kupp’s scouting report by Pro Football Focus released on March 10, 2017 described the EWU standout as one with “really strong hands,” “plays faster than his 40 time” and “great after the catch.” However, PFF shared two of his biggest concerns: Acceleration and once again, his level of competition.
Now, the 28-year-old has 288 receptions, 3,570 yards and 24 touchdowns in 54 games. Kupp now has a PFF grade of 80.8. He proved what happens when a small-school product takes advantage of a Senior Bowl invite. He wowed spectators and showed Holmes he’s faster than a 4.6 receiver.