Since Brandin Cooks showed up in the AFC South in 2020, he has demonstrated consistency.
Cooks has posted two consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and it didn’t matter the quarterback. The former New Orleans Saints 2014 first-round pick was the beneficiary of being on the same team as the 2020 NFL passing champion, but he followed up with another such 1,000-yard campaign — in 16 games no less, which meant Cooks didn’t benefit necessarily from the 17th game.
According to Anthony Treash from Pro Football Focus, Cooks is in the category of “maybe not elite, but high quality pass-catchers.”
Houston’s limitations at quarterback in 2021 kept Cooks from fully utilizing his deep ability, but he was still a productive piece for Houston. His PFF grade dropped just a few points year-over-year to 77.4, a top-30 mark in the NFL. Cooks saw his second-lowest single-season average depth of target for his career (11.1), catching the most passes of his career coming less than nine yards downfield (63). The latter also ranked 13th in the NFL in 2021.
Cooks came in at No. 26 overall. Other receivers in the group were Amari Cooper (No. 22), Tyler Lockett (No. 23), Mike Williams (No. 24), D.J. Moore (No. 25), Hunter Renfrow (No. 27), Tyler Boyd (No. 28), and Courtland Sutton (No. 29).
The former Oregon State product is also playing under his third full-time coach in as many seasons with the Texans. However, the Lovie Smith regime has infused optimism and Cooks can tell that the other players on the roster are believing what Smith is preaching.
“Guys are bought in and believing in that message that Coach Lovie is portraying,” Cooks said on May 24 after organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center. “He brings a lot of energy every day. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, he coached in this game for a long time so we’re all excited.”
As long as the Texans are winning, Cooks doesn’t care where he ranks.
