Brandin Cooks may not be in the same discussion with wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans as potential top-10 picks in the NFL draft, but the former Oregon State star isn't bothering with comparisons to the rest of the draft class, anyway.
He's going straight for an NFL star.
The Philadelphia Eagles recently cut their top wide receiver in DeSean Jackson, and Cooks believes he could make Eagles fans forget about the abruptly-departed Jackson and his 1,332 receiving yards rather quickly.
"His game is unbelievable. The man can blow the top off, catch the deep routes, catch the underneath routes, produce in the return game. He's just special. He's a freak. I definitely admire his game," Cooks said, according to philly.com. "Maybe Chip Kelly is looking to take another speedy receiver in that first round, and that could be me. Who knows? And if that's the case, a lot of people will wonder, 'Can he do it like DeSean Jackson?' In my opinion, I can do it like him and do it better."
Now that's a bold statement for a rookie-to-be, given that Jackson is coming off a career-best season in Kelly's first year as coach.
The Eagles hold the No. 22 overall pick in the draft, and a quartet of receivers -- Cooks, FSU's Kelvin Benjamin, LSU's Odell Beckham and USC's Marqise Lee -- are projected as late first-round possibilities.
Whether the Eagles want a receiver in the first round, however, is an entirely different question. NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Charles Davis all project Philadelphia to bolster its defense with its first-round pick, which is not a bad idea given that the Eagles allowed 394 yards per game last year as the fourth-to-worst defense in the NFL.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
