Tag: Cooper Kupp

Rewatch Cooper Kupp’s draft call from the Rams 7 years ago

It’s been 7 years since Cooper Kupp got the call from Les Snead and Sean McVay about being drafted by the Rams

When Cooper Kupp was drafted 69th overall in 2017, no one predicted he’d become a future Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP. The Los Angeles Rams had high hopes for him, but even they didn’t know he’d be such a star in the NFL.

It was seven years ago that the Rams drafted Kupp, the first year with Sean McVay as their head coach. After turning in the card with Kupp’s name on it, Les Snead and McVay gave the Eastern Washington product a call to let him know the good news.

The Rams shared that video from the 2017 draft on Twitter this week, reminding everyone of the moment Kupp was drafted by Los Angeles.

Puka Nacua threw up on Cooper Kupp’s lawn every day for a week while training together

Cooper Kupp’s conditioning drills had Puka Nacua throwing up every day for a week … on Kupp’s lawn

Puka Nacua is in his first full offseason as a member of the Los Angeles Rams and he didn’t take much time off after the 2023 season ended. He linked up with Cooper Kupp and worked out at the receiver’s house, staying in shape and shedding some weight in advance of his second NFL season.

Kupp has one of the best work ethics of any player in the league so Nacua picked the right teammate to train with. Kupp didn’t go easy on Puka, either. He put the second-year receiver through some serious workouts, to the point where Nacua was puking every day for a week.

During the first day of the Rams’ offseason program Monday, Nacua told reporters that he threw up on Kupp’s lawn repeatedly while going through conditioning training.

Kupp, understandably, was none too thrilled with his training partner.

“A lot of top-end speed that we’re working on,” Nacua said Monday. “His conditioning days were some of the tougher ones. I remember the first week I came back, I think I threw up every day of the week and he wasn’t a fan of that because it was all on his lawn.”

“‘You’re throwing up in my bushes, Puka. Thanks.’ But it was super fun and to come back today, I feel like I didn’t miss a beat. There was kind of an idea, like, I don’t know what I’m going to do for the offseason but following Coop’s plan made it super easy and is sending me the right way.”

More like Puke-a Nacua, am I right?

Kupp and Nacua became close during the 2023 season, with Nacua even joining the “Breakfast Club” to watch film alongside Kupp and Matthew Stafford. Nacua couldn’t have a better mentor to learn from in Los Angeles than Kupp, a former Triple Crown and Offensive Player of the Year winner in the NFL.

Nacua said he’s already slimmed down about 10 pounds this offseason, dropping from the 220 pounds he played at last year to around 210 now. Knowing how hard Kupp’s workouts are, it’s easy to see how he lost that much weight so quickly.

Look: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua were at Lakers game for Kobie Turner’s National Anthem

Kobie Turner sang the National Anthem at the Lakers game on Tuesday night and both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were in attendance

The stars were out at the Los Angeles Lakers game on Tuesday night, with three members of the Rams represented at Crypto.com Arena. It was a particularly special night for Kobie Turner, who had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem before tip-off.

Turner predictably nailed his rendition of the anthem, and both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were in attendance in Los Angeles. Nacua and Turner even took a few photos in custom Lakers jerseys before the game, rocking their Rams numbers in purple and gold.

Kupp got a custom jersey from the Lakers, too, with his No. 10 and name on the back.

But what you really came here for is Turner’s singing of the National Anthem, because it was truly impressive. Check out the video shared by the Rams below.

It’s awesome to see how close-knit the Rams are as a team, which speaks to the culture Sean McVay has built in Los Angeles.

Puka Nacua ranks his top 5 WRs in the NFL, which includes Cooper Kupp

Puka Nacua ranked the top 5 WRs in the NFL and Cooper Kupp made the cut, but where did he land?

There’s a remarkable amount of wide receiver talent in the NFL right now, making it incredibly difficult to discern the best from the rest. The Rams have two of the more talented receivers in football right now in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, but many people wouldn’t even put them in the top five.

While on Maxx Crosby’s podcast this week, Nacua was tasked with ranking the five best receivers in the league. He didn’t include himself, but Kupp did make the cut. He also included Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.

Here’s the order he put those five in.

  1. Justin Jefferson, Vikings
  2. Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
  3. Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
  4. Davante Adams, Raiders
  5. Cooper Kupp, Rams

There’s little question that Jefferson is the best in the league currently. He had 68 catches and 1,074 yards in only 10 games last season, some of which were without Kirk Cousins at quarterback.

After Jefferson, there’s a case to be made for several receivers as being the second-best. Hill led all players with 1,799 yards in 16 games, while CeeDee Lamb was second with 1,749 yards – and he didn’t even make Nacua’s list.

Neither did Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had a stellar season as a first-team All-Pro in 2023.

When healthy Kupp is up there as a top receiver, and so is Adams when he gets steady play from his quarterback. It’s hard to fault Nacua for his top five because it is a great list, but it’s just an example of how much talent there is at the position.

Puka Nacua: Cooper Kupp is ‘on a revenge tour’ in 2024

Puka Nacua has been training with Cooper Kupp this offseason and says the veteran WR is “on a revenge tour” in 2024

Since his triple crown season in 2021, Cooper Kupp’s game has been trending in the wrong direction. Granted, no one expected him to put up those numbers again, but he’s been far less productive in the last two seasons due to injury.

He had just 812 yards in 2022 (nine games) and 737 yards last season (12 games), which combined is still less than his yardage total from 2021 (1,947). He had a season-ending ankle injury in 2022 and was hampered by a hamstring injury last year, but he’s now healthy and ready for a bounce-back year in 2024.

Puka Nacua has been training with Kupp this offseason and he can see the veteran’s motivation to get back to his All-Pro ways. Nacua said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast this week that Kupp is “on a revenge tour,” which should excite every Rams fan.

“I’ve been training with Coop so it’s been good. He’s on a revenge tour. He’s been able to get a healthy offseason and stuff so he’s back at it,” he said.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5JpQI5P9Pf/

Kupp puts in as much time as anyone in the NFL when it comes to training and staying fit, which made last year’s injury limitations even more disappointing for him and the Rams. He still showed flashes of being a top-tier receiver last season with four 100-yard games, but he also had eight games with fewer than 55 yards.

When healthy, he and Nacua are one of the best receiving tandems in football.

Puka Nacua has already slimmed down 10 pounds this offseason: ‘I feel a lot better’

Puka Nacua has already slimmed down 10 pounds from last season and feels “a lot better”

It may be the offseason and the Rams don’t report for their spring workout program for another two weeks, but Puka Nacua has been hard at work since the end of his rookie year. Even after setting all kinds of records in 2023, Nacua wants to be even better next season, something that’s very possible as he continues to get a better feel for the NFL game.

He and Cooper Kupp have been training together this offseason and as a result, Nacua has slimmed down a bit. He said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast recently that after playing at around 220 pounds last season, he’s already down about 10 pounds this offseason.

“I’ve slimmed down a little bit from what I was. I was pretty heavy,” Nacua said. “The game was physical, I definitely feel like I played the game physical but I feel like I could maybe lose a couple pounds. Last season, I was close to like 220 for most of the season. I was up there. I’m probably around 210 right now. I feel a lot better.”

One of his goals is to be better at beating press coverage off the line, and he can achieve that by improving his lateral quickness thanks to a lighter frame, so that’s the reason he’s trying to shed some weight before Year 2.

Nacua plays a physical style of football and takes a ton of contact with all of the jet sweeps and in-breaking routes he runs, so it’s understandable that he was bulked up as a rookie. But if he can improve his speed and quickness, that could put him over the top as one of the best receivers in football.

Look: Puka Nacua rocked a Cooper Kupp T-shirt while training with Cooper Kupp

Puka Nacua rocked a T-shirt with Cooper Kupp on it while training with the Rams receiver 😂

Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have become extremely close over the last year, not only working in tandem on the field, but training off it, too. They’ve spent time this offseason preparing for the 2024 campaign, which will benefit both Rams receivers as they gear up for Year 2 as teammates.

Trainer Ryan Sorensen recently shared a video of the two working out together, doing everything from cardio to core strength training. One thing stood out in the video (besides Kupp’s ripped physique): Nacua’s T-shirt.

While Kupp went shirtless, Nacua wore a shirt with Kupp on it, because of course he did.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5JpQI5P9Pf/?hl=en

It’s not as funny as Andrew Whitworth’s Super Bowl parade shirt with Kupp’s picture on it, but you can’t help but love Nacua’s workout attire.

Rams have 2nd-most expensive offense, least expensive defense in NFL

The Rams are spending the 2nd-most of any team on offense, but their defense is by far the least expensive in the NFL

Though the Los Angeles Rams aren’t done signing players this offseason, there’s a massive discrepancy between the offense and defense in terms of cost. There was a wide gap last year, too, when the Rams spent the least amount of money on their defense, but there’s an even larger difference in spending this year.

Using numbers from Over The Cap, Warren Sharp listed how much each team is spending on offense in 2024 and the Rams were second, having allocated $178.1 million on that side of the ball as of now.

Only the Browns ($188.8 million) are spending more on offense than the Rams, while the Steelers ($64.8 million) are spending the least.

On the flip side, no team in the NFL is spending less on defense than the Rams. According to Over The Cap, the Rams are only spending $55.9 million on defensive players in 2024, which is $14.4 million less than every other team in the league.

The Steelers are spending the most on their defense at $160.3 million, so they’re first in defensive spending and 32nd in offensive spending – the polar opposite of the Rams.

Surprisingly, the Rams have the fourth-most expensive tight end group ($20.4M) in the NFL after signing Tyler Higbee to an extension last year and bringing in Colby Parkinson this offseason. Their offensive line is also the fifth-most expensive ($64.9 million) after giving three-year contracts to Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson.

It’s an unorthodox way to construct a roster, spending so much on one side of the ball compared to the other, but the Rams made the playoffs with this strategy last season and they could go even further in 2024.

Look: McVay, Stafford, Nacua and Kupp sit courtside at ‘Netflix Slam’ tennis match

The Rams’ stars were out at the “Netflix Slam” where Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz squared off in Las Vegas

The stars were out at the inaugural “Netflix Slam” on Sunday night, an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas, including several from the Los Angeles Rams.

Videos showed Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua all sitting courtside for the Nadal-Alcaraz battle, hanging out together at this awesome event. It’s obviously not the first time they’ve hung out together, but seeing them spending time as a group at an event like this is pretty cool.

Jordan Love and Colin Kaepernick were also sitting in celebrity row for the match, so it wasn’t just the Rams’ stars representing the NFL in Vegas.

Apparently McVay showed off his wide receiver hands by snagging a wayward shot by Nadal. You can only see the aftermath in the video below, but the former college receiver has some good hands.

Here’s another photo of the group together at the event, along with some others.

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)

Alcaraz took down the legendary Nadal, 14-12, coming from behind to beat his idol.

Cooper Kupp shares a message for prospects testing at the NFL combine

Cooper Kupp shared a message for all combine participants reminding them that their numbers don’t define them

Cooper Kupp did not wow many people at the combine in 2017. He still went in the third round to the Los Angeles Rams and has become a premier wideout in the NFL, but you wouldn’t have thought he’d turn into a triple crown winner based on his testing numbers alone seven years ago.

Kupp ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of only 31 inches and a broad jump of 116 inches, ranking below-average in those departments. He did test well in the agility drills, however, which was a sign that he’d be a good route runner.

With the NFL combine taking place in Indianapolis this weekend, Kupp reminded all of the prospects testing in front of scouts, coaches and GMs that their numbers don’t define their journey in the NFL.

Kupp has gone on to have a decorated career with the Rams despite being drafted outside the first and second rounds, winning the triple crown, a Super Bowl and Offensive Player of the Year. He even took home Super Bowl MVP honors two years ago.

The combine is an important part of the pre-draft process, but it’s not everything.