New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made no bones about how good he thinks new wide receiver Brandin Cooks can be. Speaking at the owner's meeting on Monday, Kraft compared the former New Orleans Saint to one of the best receivers to play the game. Kraft believes when all is said and done, Cooks could become as good as former Patriots and Vikings receiver, Randy Moss. What Kraft said is high praise indeed, but is the comparison really apt, or is this the case of a team's owner getting a little too verbose in his excitement over one of his new acquisitions?
Cooks has been very good, but not great
Brandin Cooks started his wide receiver career at Oregon State and while that school is not exactly an NFL factory, Cooks managed to win the award that goes to the best receiver in the game in his final year in college. Since joining the NFL, the newest New England Patriot has been very good and very steady, but he hasn't managed to achieve a rank of greatness just yet.
The wide receiver has posted two 1,000 yard seasons in his first three years in the league but he's struggled to really step up and be the go-to receiver on the Saints. This isn't a situation where Cooks has had to toil with a below average quarterback throwing to him. The former Saint had Super Bowl-winning Drew Brees behind center.
New England Patriots think he's ready to hit the next level
If Cooks does manage to take the next step, he is likely on the right team. Receivers like Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman have managed to rise to the top despite being considered "projects" by most NFL scouts. Tom Brady throwing the ball helps, but the New England Patriots' offensive philosophy is key to making receivers game breakers as well.
R. Kraft on Brandin Cooks: "Since I've owned the team, the only player that could make an impact like that at wide receiver was Randy Moss."
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 27, 2017
Kraft clearly believes Cooks could find himself a niche in the offense. When he talked to the media about what he thinks the newly acquired receiver can do, he pulled no punches. "Since I've owned the team, the only player that could make an impact like that at wide receiver was Randy Moss." He told ESPN's Mike Reiss.
