NFL Top-10 WRs: Where's Rams' Cooper Kupp?

After an injury-shortened season, how highly does Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp rank among the NFL's top receivers?
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Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp's 2021 season was one of the greatest individual campaigns in NFL history, as he won Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16).

But Kupp's follow-up season didn't go as planned for Rams, who went 5-12 a year removed from winning the Super Bowl.

Kupp played in just nine games before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. Still, he was dominant in his time on the field, hauling in 75 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns.

So, where does that land Kupp among the league's best wideouts?

According to Pro Football Focus, Kupp earned a receiving grade of 88.1 this past season, good enough to be named the No. 7 receiver league-wide ...

"Before going down with a season-ending injury, Kupp was once again on his way to being one of the best receivers in football. He forced 13 missed tackles on just 75 receptions in his nine games." - PFF's Gordon McGuinness

Is it particularly fair that Kupp dropped from the best offensive player, let alone receiver, to No. 7 at his position in one season? Not particularly - but that's merely the way that PFF graded things.

The players above Kupp are as follows: Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins), Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions), Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings), Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills), and A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles).

Ultimately, even in a down year for his team, Kupp still starred - and remains among the premium players at his position.

But in Kupp's eyes, No. 7 is surely quite low ... and he'll now set his sights on a bounce-back 2023, along with the rest of the Rams organization.


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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy's Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.