Saints' Plans for WR Brandin Cooks Raise Rookie of the Year Expectations

The last time a wide receiver won the award for NFL Offensive Rookie of Year was 2009, when Percy Harvin was used as a versatile weapon in the Minnesota Vikings offense. New Orleans wide receiver Brandin Cooks is prepared to follow in Harvin's steps. 

It's only one game, but if the Saints' initial game plan is any indication, Cooks is going to be a primary target for quarterback Drew Brees. Cooks tied a Saints rookie record with seven receptions during his first contest as a professional. It was clear Brees was looking for Cooks early in the game and completed all six of his passes to him during the first half.

Saints head coach Sean Payton talked about Cooks' performance after the game, via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com:

"

He looked sharp. I thought he made some good plays in space, hung onto the football. And the thing with him is he's prepared. And it's nothing we haven't seen and that you (in the media) have seen in practice. He looked very comfortable.

"

But Cooks' impact goes beyond how many receptions he'll have this season. 

The diminutive receiver is comparable to some of the top wide receivers in the NFL. Athletically, Cooks is superior to a few elite NFL targets. 

Players	Height	Weight	40-yard dash	20-yard shuttle	3-cone	Vertical
Brandin Cooks	5'10"	189	4.33	3.81	6.76	36"
Percy Harvin	5'11"	192	4.41	DNP	DNP	37.5"
DeSean Jackson	6'0"	178	4.35	4.19	6.82	34.5'
Antonio Brown	5'10'	186	4.48	4.18	6.98	33.5"

To put those numbers into context, Cooks is as good or better an athlete than a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the year, arguably the best deep threat in football and a wide receiver who finished second in the NFL last year in catches and receiving yards. 

Cooks, however, isn't just a fantastic athlete playing wide receiver. He is a dynamic wide receiver who happens to be a very good athlete. 

The rookie's early production and the Saints' willingness to target him repeatedly shouldn't come as a surprise. Last season at Oregon State, the junior receiver was asked to become the focal point of the Beavers offense. Cooks rewarded the team by being awarded the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver. His production in college dwarfed other top targets of his stature. Cooks finished his final season in Corvallis with 128 receptions and an NCAA-leading 1,730 yards.

What makes Cooks special is short-area quickness and an ability to separate at the top of his route. His time in the short shuttle at the NFL combine in Indianapolis was lightning quick, and it makes Cooks nearly impossible to cover whether he's lined up outside or in the slot. 

The Saints utilized Cooks' tremendous quickness to score the the team's second touchdown of the season and the first of the wide receiver's career. 

With under a minute remaining in the first half, New Orleans lined up in a trips left look at the 3-yard line. Cooks aligned to the far side of the field as the No. 1 receiver. The two underneath receivers ran rub routes while Cooks came underneath on a shallow crossing pattern. The cornerback, who was stuck in man coverage, didn't have a chance to catch Cooks. The young receiver got into the end zone so quickly, the defensive back didn't have the time to work his way through traffic.

Cooks' versatility within the offense also makes him dangerous as teams game-plan for the Saints. The Saints used Cooks in a variety of different manners against the Atlanta Falcons. Each time Cooks touched the football, the Saints offense was set up in a different formation, and he ran a different route. Here is a quick breakdown of each of the rookie's touches: 

• Cooks ran a deep post from the slot for a 32-yard gain and his first career reception. 
• The wide receiver lined up in the backfield next to Brees in shotgun formation before the quarterback found Cooks open on a swing pass for two yards. 
• Brees found Cooks in a soft zone for a 14-yard completion after Cooks lined up opposite a trips right formation and ran a 15-yard comeback route. 
• The wide receiver lined up to the right of the formation with a nasty (shortened) split off the line of scrimmage before the team ran a reverse that netted 18 yards. 
• Cooks lined up as the No. 2 receiver in a trips look between Robert Meachem and Jimmy Graham. The rookie ran a skinny post for nine yards. 
• The Saints showed a stacked look to the right of the formation and brought Cooks in motion across the field. It set up an eight-yard bubble screen. 
• This reception was the aforementioned touchdown. 
• Cooks lined up in a stacked look to the left of the field before running a curl route in the middle of the field for nine yards. 

There was even an instance during the third quarter where Brees was so confident in his rookie receiver, the quarterback threw an ill-advised pass into coverage that resulted in an interception. 

This level of confidence and the amount of different ways Cooks can be used in the Saints offense make him one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. 

Cooks even predicted exactly how he was going to be used in the NFL when he officially declared for the NFL draft. 

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Prior to the Saints trading up and selecting Cooks with the 20th overall pick in May's draft, he told USA Today, "[NFL teams] talk about me playing on the outside and blowing the top off [a defense]. They also discuss playing inside to run those underneath routes, using a fly sweep game and running with the ball a little bit."

What Cooks described is exactly how the Saints used him in the season opener. 

Saints' opponents must know exactly where Cooks is on the field at all times. If those teams don't, the young receiver will surely match or set more rookie records this season.

Only eight wide receivers have been named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year during the award's 46-year history. Cooks could be the ninth due to the Saints commitment to him as a vital part in an explosive offense.