Since entering the league in 2017, Cooper Kupp has made a lasting impact on the NFL. The wide receiver bounced back from an ACL tear in 2019 with a 1,000-yard receiving season. Then in 2021, Kupp won the receiving triple crown, leading all players in catches, yards, and touchdowns. But surprisingly, the Rams’ former offensive coordinator wasn’t too high on the future phenom at the time they drafted him.
Matt LaFleur is currently the coach of the Green Bay Packers. But back in 2017, he was the offensive coordinator for the LA Rams alongside Sean McVay. The two had worked together previously in Washington as assistants, so it only made sense that McVay had his buddy on staff.
Interestingly enough, though, LaFleur recently revealed that he wasn’t bullish about Kupp’s ceiling as a player when they drafted him in 2017. He thought the Rams needed a speedy wideout. But boy, was he wrong.
“We’ve drafted guys I haven’t been too excited about. Two years down the line, I was ecstatic about,” LaFleur admitted.
When asked to name one, he hesitated before saying, “We drafted Cooper Kupp, and I thought we needed a speed receiver. It didn’t take long before I realized, I was like, goddamn, I’m glad we got Cooper Kupp. Because he was a baller. And I know that makes me look like an idiot.”
Kupp ended up as one of the most dangerous receivers in recent memory. Once he connected with Matthew Stafford, he became a household name in the NFL. He not only won the triple crown but also led the Rams to a Super Bowl win over the Bengals. Since then, he’s battled injuries that have hindered his production, but when he’s on the field, Kupp is still considered a dangerous target.
The fan reaction to LaFleur’s comment was a throwback to Kupp’s college days. Many looked back on his incredible career at Eastern Washington and wondered how a coach like LaFleur wasn’t all-in on his skill set.
“Cooper Kupp lit d1 teams up from Eastern Washington, best player on the field when they played Oregon. I remember thinking who tf is dude,” the top comment read.
“Kupp was always a technician as a WR. He was always going to be good, but many didn’t know how good. Sometimes these coaches get stuck on their ‘ideal’ personnel for their system instead of the player who will be productive in any system,” another penned.
“And this is why coaches should coach, scouts should scout, and GM’s should run the draft,” someone else added.
This fan, meanwhile, thought that LaFleur deserved respect for dropping a name when he absolutely could remain silent.
“Mad respect for naming names and standing by them. Also great example cause there’s probably others that don’t shine well on him,” they wrote.
Look, hindsight is always 20/20. It’s not like LaFleur was the only coach who wasn’t sold on Kupp’s abilities — 68 other picks went by before he was selected. Kupp put up stellar statistics in college, but he did it all at an FCS school. Obviously, now we can laugh at teams for passing on him, but at the time, he was a bit of a risk to spend a third-round pick on.
So, while it’s fun to point and laugh at LaFleur, just remember that your favorite team probably passed on Kupp, too and wrote him off coming out of Eastern Washington. At least the Rams didn’t listen to LaFleur and went ahead with the selection anyway. Imagine if they had bypassed one of the best receivers of this era because of him — they might not have that 2021 Super Bowl.
