Did Puka Nacua's record-setting year expose Cooper Kupp as a system receiver?

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

If it was that easy then teams would just shut them off and make Stafford throw elsewhere.

 

[King Poetic]

Cooper and puka both route running and speed is crazy ..

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Cooper and puka both route running and speed is crazy ..

Cooper ran 4.62 in the 40 in the combine, Puka ran 4.57. There's a reason Cooper wasn't drafted until the 3rd round and Puka in the 6th last pick of the 5th.



And this was Puka's draft report on his route running less than 12 months ago:


NEGATIVES

— Route tree was limited at BYU. Used as more of a hybrid gadget player than legitimate wide receiver.

— Below-average route-running skills. Too clunky getting in and out of breaks.

 

[Braman]

Be more specific. It’s not system, it’s QB. Stafford gon pepper tf out of his #1 WR

They benefit from that for sure. IMO moreso Puka. i honestly can’t pin down what his high end skill is. He’s tough and reliable. Like Michael Thomas-esque which is a compliment but also not

Kupp a lil different. Commentators used to always refer to him like he’s a small shifty slot guy. Bruh he’s 6’2 and solid. With that agility. So he’s unique …but even still, Kupp’s career is weird af. Most domannt unstoppable WR season I can recall, but his career numbers otherwise are shockingly mid. A lot of injuries, but even his healthy year with Robert woods, they had identical numbers. Kupp just more tds

But yea, considering Kupp is already 30, if Puka can get another year or 2 out of Stafford he’s almost surely gonna out produce Kupp and may even have a year similar to Kupp’s monster year so ultimately Puka may adversely effect Kupp’s legacy

 

[Max Power]

Cooper ran 4.62 in the 40 in the combine, Puka ran 4.57. There's a reason Cooper wasn't drafted until the 3rd round and Puka in the 6th last pick of the 5th.



And this was Puka's draft report on his route running less than 12 months ago:


NEGATIVES

— Route tree was limited at BYU. Used as more of a hybrid gadget player than legitimate wide receiver.

— Below-average route-running skills. Too clunky getting in and out of breaks.

Draft reports and 40 times prove they're system receivers! You deserve another Poster of the Year for this, Dankster

 

[YOGEBEAR09]

And in case you're wondering, Aaron Donald should have been the Super Bowl MVP for impacting what the Bengals could do on every play and making the play that sealed the game. Not a guy who only accounted for 92 yards of offense all game.

You have 0 clue what you're talking about in both messages so please stop while you're ahead.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Yes and no.

There's moments where QBs force it to a top playmaker but those are moments throughout the game. Stafford from kickoff til the very last whistle is forcing it to 1 receiver basically. This is getting to be historically unique to stafford.



No other QB has and probably will ever have this kind of graphic

Force isn't the right word. Stafford is elite at throwing guys open and hitting bigger receivers in spaces where only they can get the ball. It's why when everyone said he'd fall off after Megatron retired he got even better with Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. It's how he got Kenny Golladay paid. If Stafford has chemistry with you, you're gonna eat.

I'm not gonna say Puka is a system receiver but I will say that I doubt he'd thrive with just any QB. Ja'Marr Chase would ball with anyone. We've seen this year that Justin Jefferson will ball with anyone. While I think Cooper Kupp would ball with anyone I'm not sure Puka would. An elite QB is getting him the ball in LA, and I'd suspect he'd be doing the same if he played with Burrow or other elite QBs.

 

[YOGEBEAR09]

Cooper ran 4.62 in the 40 in the combine, Puka ran 4.57. There's a reason Cooper wasn't drafted until the 3rd round and Puka in the 6th last pick of the 5th.



And this was Puka's draft report on his route running less than 12 months ago:


NEGATIVES

— Route tree was limited at BYU. Used as more of a hybrid gadget player than legitimate wide receiver.

— Below-average route-running skills. Too clunky getting in and out of breaks.

Pre-draft analysis does not mean shyt when Puka proved all of that wrong this year. Anyone who actually Watched the Rams this year (something you clearly didn't do or rarely did) will tell you that Puka's route running and ability to make incredible plays this year has been nothing short of excellence.

 

[Jplaya2023]

Did we ever think of Cupp as a number 1 on any team with any QB?

 

[GR13]

Cooper and puka both route running and speed is crazy ..

 

[BaggerofTea]

You can plug in about 30 wrs in the NFL right now who could get 1000 yards in a McVay offense.

Brandin Cooks was eating before Kupp

 

[BaggerofTea]

Did we ever think of Cupp as a number 1 on any team with any QB?

The media certainly felt so. He was never the best wr in the league imo

 

[YOGEBEAR09]

@Rhakim Instead of making terrible threads trying to downplay the success and ability of Ram's players a team you obviously dont watch, lets make threads on the fact that coming off a disastrous 5-12 season, in an offseason where the roster was completely restructured with multiple big time players leaving and everyone predicting them to be in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes and saying that Stafford washed, a year where they started 3-6, how they still were able to turn that around and end up with 10-7 record in the playoffs with key contributions from multiple rookies including Puka the same one you're trying to down play. And how they had an incredible draft in which they landed 2 guys that Should both win OROY and DROY in Puka and Kobie Turner. Thanks

 

[FaTaL]

Sounds like a good system to play in

 

[BrehWyatt]

stafford spams any WR he has a connection with i think is the bigger story.

I wouldn’t call Cooper Kupp a system receiver tho. I think it’s pretty evident he just isn’t the same guy after all of his injuries. If Kupp isnt injured on IR the first four games of the season, Nacua probably takes longer to develop. Also helped Puka was with Van Jefferson first 4-5 games and VJ had no dog in him whatsoever.

This. Cooper Kupp was putting up great numbers before Stafford showed up. Stafford historically likes to rely on one WR he knows will win his matchup the majority of the time.