Polian: Kupp Is A Slot WR

February 2nd, 2017

Senior Bowl football

If two receivers made names for themselves last week at the Senior Bowl, based on oohs and aahs from analysts after the game, they were Zay Jones and Cooper Kupp.

Joe has written about Jones a couple of times. Now it’s time for Kupp, a star from Eastern Washington, who seemed to have caught everything thrown to him.

But if Bucs fans are hoping AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht drafts Kupp to play outside opposite Mike Evans, then they might want to downsize your expectations.

Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian was recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio discussing Kupp, who Polian sort of likened to a poor man’s Brandon Stokely.

“He is a little slight overall to be a No. 1,” Polian said. “And he got muscled off a ball today that resulted in an interception.There are some things that worry you. You [can’t] coach [up] 185 pounds. He is nowhere near Jordy Nelson, he is much more like [Julian] Edelman than Jordy Nelson. Jordy Nelson is 6-3 215. Kupp is a much smaller man, probably a slot and probably a darn good one.”

Polian did like Kupp’s burst off the ball, his ability to create separation and his overall speed. But an outside receiver in the NFL? Polian has serious doubts.

38 Responses to “Polian: Kupp Is A Slot WR”

  1. WhatdaBUCisthis Says:

    PASS….

  2. Joeypoppems Says:

    Edelman is a fair comp for Kupp. I wouldn’t say he is “much” smaller than Jordy tho. Kupp measured at 6′ 1.5″ 198 lbs. You have to think if Koetter views him as a slot receiver as well and if they really like Hump then Kupp might not be worth a round 2 pick to them.

  3. Blake_Bucsfan Says:

    Dont know about you guys but I would love fpr Jameis to have a Julian Edelman. Dude isnt gonna score on a 70 yarder, but he gets open in a hurry. Often times crisp route running and quickness are more valuable than just pure straight line speed.

  4. Joeypoppems Says:

    @Blake

    Of course we would. The problem is as of right now an outside receiver is more of a priority than another slot receiver. Until a legit outside #2 receiver is addressed (hopefully in FA) that should be the main concern of Licht and Koetter as far as pass catchers go. Like I said, if Koetter views Kupp the same way Polian does and we still need a #2 come draft time, I wouldnt get my hopes up for Kupp. Just my opinion tho.

  5. al121976 Says:

    Humphries

  6. BuccaneEric75 Says:

    I’m not convinced that Kupp is “just” a slot receiver. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.

  7. Nole on Sat- Bucc on Sun Says:

    Me too 75.

  8. BigPoppaBuc Says:

    We’ve got Humphries, who hasn’t been used properly due to a lack of a true #2 on the outside. At this point I think signing FA Jackson should be priority one. Evans, Jackson, Humphries and Brate make for a versatile and dangerous offense.

  9. bucsfaninchina Says:

    I disagree with that assessment. He is a big strong dude who can turn on the jets. He has those white boy ups so don’t expect him to win any 50-50 balls. If we could get by with Shepard as our #2, Kupp is absolutely more than capable.

  10. 1nebuc Says:

    The WR position is 3 maybe 4 rds deep . This class will be compared to Mike Evans class . Corey Davis is a stud in the 1st rd but so is KD Cannon in the 3rd or 4th. The o line position has little plug and play talent and that’s why you grab a top center from lsu or Ohio state . Its not a sexy pick but you can move down from 19 add extra picks and still grab 1 of the 2 and then the 2nd rd and on is game time ….

    Did anybody see that class jimbo pulled off yesterday .No rebuilding for fsu just reloading

  11. 808BUCS Says:

    I like Josh Reynolds maybe in the 3rd or 4th rd. He seems like he would be a good 2nd WR for us.

  12. LakeLandBuc Says:

    There’s smaller guys than Cooper Kupp, that line up on the outside.

  13. Buc1987 Says:

    Humphries.

  14. LakeLandBuc Says:

    I’m glad my boy from Lakeland High( James Robinson) signed his offer with the Florida Gators. Teams had backed away from him, after he was busted for weed while on a visit to Ohio State. It’s good that UF gave him another chance after taken the offer of the table.I hope he learned a valuable lesson.

  15. LakeLandBuc Says:

    Antonio Brown is only 5’10-5-11 190 at the most.

  16. Joeypoppems Says:

    My opinion on what we should do for our receiver situation is sign one of the faster FA receivers to stretch the field out of the slot position (Desean Jackson, Kenny Stills, Kendall Wright, etc) and draft a bigger receiver with a big catch radius to play primarily on the outside. Corey Davis, Malachi Dupre, Josh, Reynolds, Zay Jones, Amara Datboh, etc. Those rookies also have upside to stretch the field imo.

  17. Getaclue Says:

    I wish we could pry Allen Robinson from the Jags, he would be the perfect compliment to Mike Evans

  18. 813bucboi Says:

    @808…I hear you….Reynolds would by great but I would like to see what he runs in the 40….at worse he could back up mike evans….zay jones is really looking good tho….good speed, great hands, nice route runner….

    @Lakeland…im happy as hell for robinson and the gators….GO BUCS!!!!

  19. Shabazz916 Says:

    bucs need someone who can either blow the top off a defense. Or someone who can be a veretical threat with size like mike evans, slot receivers are easy to find, you just need a smaller speed guy.

  20. Blake_Bucsfan Says:

    I would say that Julian Edelman is an outside receiver. Not saying hat Kupp is a must have, but I do think he has the skill set to develop into a heck of a wide out.

  21. Stpetebucsfan Says:

    I just wish we could figure a way to get Samuel into our WR mix. Dude can flat out ball and he has blazing speed. He’s played at RB as well as WR. If we signed Jackson and got Samuels this team would have blazing speed and as BigPoppa suggested we’ve yet to have a chance to utilize Hump properly because VJAX and all the other outside guys went down. Hump is our Julian Edelman.

    IF we had Desean Jackson and Curtis Samuel that would instantly make ME/Hump and Brate better as well. Sadly Samuel is climbing draft boards right now and I fear he’ll rip a 4.35 40 at the Combine and then we have no chance at getting him.

  22. Mojiska Says:

    Why are his only 2 comps Edelman and jordy? Just cause he is white, he has to be like a white wr? What about Landry, Hopkins, Watkins, woods, brown, t.y. odell??? All under 6’2 that are considered outside #1 or #2 receivers. And this is just of the top of my head.

    Point is, he can absolutely play outside. He will not play it like evans, but that’s a good thing. The more unique weapons we have, the more well rounded we are to take advantage of a defenses weaknesses.

  23. Blake_Bucsfan Says:

    @stpete I love Curtis Samuel dude. Kid does everything really well, and while he may not be Tyreek Hill or John Ross fast, he’s still a burner. I also like Dede Westbrook as a speed guy.

    The only damper i can think of on Samuel, is that he will most likely go in the Second round, and i REALLY want T.J. Watt in the Second dude. Watch J.J’s lil bro pop ff on his highlight reel. And then watch some of his tape on Draft breakdown. Kid looks beastly my dude.

  24. Joeypoppems Says:

    @Mojiska

    I can see Landry. I dont see anybody else you mentioned. Comparisons arent just about size, but play style. Kupp isnt a vertical threat imo. He is more quick than fast which is how he gets his big plays. His quick route running causes seperation which leads to YAC. I dont see him chasing down long bombs for any team because that isnt how he plays. Sure, he could play outside but Imo he is a mismatch in the slot because of his quickness.

    And I hope nobody is taking this as a negative for Kupp. Just because you play in the slot doesnt mean you will be a #3 at best. Look at Fitzgerald in Arizona. He is almost primarily in the slot but still the #1 guy.

  25. Stpetebucsfan Says:

    Blake

    After my son’s( he sees every OSU home game) assessment that Samuels was the best player on the Buckeyes and that his “football” speed is even better than his 40 speed…I would even consider trading up if indeed he lasts till the 2nd.

    Get our RB in the 1st and then Samuels…sign a FA speedster and we’re set on O. Rest of the draft picks can go to the lines..or safety.

    If we do not see THE RB we want (and I know we disagree there:-) then I wouldn’t mind seeing a trade back to pick up some more picks.

  26. No_Bucs_Given Says:

    John Ross john Ross john Ross.

  27. Mojiska Says:

    John Ross is not a first round guy. Way too one dimensional to be a first rounder imo. There will be guys in the 2-4 that would bring just as much upside as ross. I like the guy, but donot think he is worth it in the first. He lasts to our 2nd round pick heck yeah, but only wr worthy of a first round pick are Williams and maybe Corey davis.

  28. Mike Evans GOAT Says:

    @ joey
    I disagree, Kupp is very much a deep threat. When he runs a 4.4 40 his stock will go even higher. He go the speed, he’s smooth as butter with his routes, and he has soft hands. I think the jordy Nelson comp is just easy, I like the size comparison and some of the number match up.
    Jordy. Cooper Kupp
    6’3 207. 6’2 215
    4.5 40. (Projected) 4.4 40
    I really like this kid. Say jones will also shoot up draft boards

  29. Blake_bucsfan Says:

    Who has Kupp project to run a 4.4? If he runs anything in the 4-4 range its probably gonna 4.48+ Which is nothing to sneeze at, but I think he is quicker than he is fast.

  30. Mike Evans GOAT Says:

    @blake
    That’s what they projected him to run at the senior bowl. I don’t care what he runs, we saw how he blew the doors off the guys in the bowl game

  31. Mojiska Says:

    His senior bowl weigh in was 6’1.5″ and 198.

  32. Blake_bucsfan Says:

    I really like Kupp dude. Just see him as more of a developmental pick/ Future starter, as opposed to a Day 1 impact player.

  33. Mike Evans GOAT Says:

    @mojiska
    What I had must have been his listed weight at school. And we all know they lie about that stuff! Lol

  34. Mike Evans GOAT Says:

    I’m actually content right now. I trust licht, and I think this draft has some deep talent at our positions of need ( besides O line)

  35. Mike Evans GOAT Says:

    Lots of options with talent in round 1-3. We can fill most of our needs with some good talent. We-rb-S in the first 3 rounds (in no particular order)

  36. ARGH_M8E Says:

    ZAY JONES. Get him no matter what!!!

  37. Joeypoppems Says:

    Guys he wasnt “projected” to run a 4.4… he said himself he was gonna run a 4.4…. so if he goes out there and runs a 4.49 he is right.

  38. Joeypoppems Says:

    If you want to compare Kupp to a not white pro, to me it is Pierre Garcon.

    Garcon has some speed (ran a 4.48) but isnt fast enough to just run past defenders to stretch the field. The way Garcon wins and has success is by creating seperation by running quick, precise routes and then has enough speed to run away from defenders. To me that is exactly how Kupp will have success in the NFL.