Pharoh Cooper NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Rams Rookie

POSITIVES

Pharoh Cooper left South Carolina after three seasons and enters the draft after his true junior year. His early playing time for Steve Spurrier allowed Cooper to produce early on, and now he heads to the NFL with the tools and game tape to impress.

Cooper has natural, soft hands and is able to make tough catches away from his frame or fastballs thrown to his numbers. Cooper is short but has 32 ¼-inch arms that allow him to make plays with a bigger catch radius than you expect.

In the South Carolina offense, Cooper worked almost exclusively on underneath and intermediate routes. He is a natural athlete with quick feet and the hips to sink and cut on the go. Cooper has rapid-fire feet and will break ankles in man coverage.

After the catch, Cooper brings value. He averaged almost eight yards after the catch and broke off a long of 78 yards against Vanderbilt that showcased his long speed and burst. He goes to top speed in a hurry and has some of the best explosive speed at the position in this class.

Cooper's toughness, footwork and speed make him a Day 1 candidate as a starter in the slot.

NEGATIVES

Cooper is the type of player you must scheme around and find touches for in the offense. Scouts will fret over a lack of size or length when looking at him compared to the NFL standard.

When played on the outside of the formation, Cooper will struggle with longer cornerbacks. The answer to this is to move him inside, but that decreases his value for many teams. A smart coordinator will find him touches, but as we've seen in the past (Tavon Austin, etc.), that's not an easy task.

The lack of ideal size and length comes up only when Cooper is asked to beat a jam or go up for contested catches. He's not the type of receiver who will bail out an errant throw and save the quarterback. He'll need to be placed in a system that lets him flourish on underneath routes.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 5'11 ⅛"

Weight: 203 lbs.

40 Time: N/A

3-Cone: N/A

Short Shuttle: N/A

PRO COMPARISON: Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
FINAL GRADE: 6.50/9.00 (Round 2-3—Future Starter)