Dynasty League Spotlight: Brandin Cooks, Oregon State Beavers- 2014 NFL Draft
The Trashman, RosterWatch.com

Brandin Cooks, WR Oregon State

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 185 pounds
40 yard dash:  4.33 (Combine) 
NFL Comparison: Tavon Austin

Scouting Notes:

The wide receiver rookie class just got a lot more crowded after the recent NFL combine. At the top of the pack, at least speed wise, is Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks. Cooks posted a swift 4.33 time in the 40-yard dash, the fastest receiver time at this year’s combine.  And he’s got hands too. Cooks led Div.1 receivers with 1,730 yards this season, but for some reason you don’t hear about him when people talk about the top receivers in this year’s draft. This could be because of his size. At 5’10”, 185 lbs, Cooks isn’t exactly your prototypical wide out, but with wheels like his, it’s not that big of an issue. He’ll be well beyond most corners, by the time he has to compete for the ball. He accelerates quickly, so it won’t be easy for defenders to jam him at the line of scrimmage either. Cooks yards-after-catch was a lowly 5.24, and that could turn some teams off, but you really have to look at the types of routes he was running. Cooks ran a lot of comebacks, which traditionally don’t yield very many yards after catch. For the aforementioned reasons, teams may sleep on Cooks, but it will be to their peril.

Here are our notes on Cooks from viewing him live at the NFL Scouting Combine:

#13 Brandin Cooks, Oregon St.
Nice recovery from first drop, then runs fast and makes hands catches
Looks great in second gauntlet drill, he’s fast and he’s a snatcher
Good break on 17 yard dig
Drops 12 yard comeback
Can move on the post corner

Fantasy Outlook: 

Cooks’ productivity will be determined by the way his eventual team attempts to use him. He needs to be in a creative offensive scheme, that will implement him in multiple facets of the game. A comparable situation would be that of Tavon Austin in St. Louis. Austin was pretty much unstoppable when he got into open space, but it took his team awhile to figure how best to accomplish that. Cooks is a more polished receiver than Austin, though, so he doesn’t have to be used on gadget plays as much. I’m very excited to see what  this young man can do in the NFL, and I’ll be disappointed if I only see him as a special teams player his first year.