Former Eastern Washington star Cooper Kupp, family have high hopes for NFL Draft

Family and faith have carried Cooper Kupp this far, so why stop now?

Before the NFL Draft begins Thursday night, a dozen members of the Kupp family will gather in a beach house in southern California.

They will eat and pray, play some touch football in the sand and suspend the guessing game of where Kupp will begin the next chapter of his life.

It could be in Seattle of Buffalo, or half a dozen other cities with NFL teams in need of a hand – the sure hands of Cooper Kupp, the most prolific wide receiver in college football history.

“We just have to trust God that He’s got a great plan for him,” said Cooper’s father, Craig Kupp, a former NFL quarterback.

The Kupps were back in Cheney last weekend to catch up with younger son Ketner, a linebacker with the Eagles and the only family member who won’t be in Newport Beach this week.

All of the Kupps are awaiting the big moment, which is approaching with the speed of a blitzing safety. Cooper is expected to be drafted somewhere in the first three rounds.

Kupp isn’t the only Eagle with a shot at getting drafted – defensive end Samson Ebukam’s stock has risen sharply in recent weeks – but Kupp is the highest-profile candidate from the Inland Northwest.

Not bad for a too-small, too-slow kid from Yakima who was overlooked by the big boys. Not anymore.

“We’re just excited to see this dream that he’s worked so hard for … this is our time to be together and savor the moment,” said his mother, Karin.

They’ll try to do that without cellphones, which have tied the Kupps a little too closely to the months-long drama leading up to the draft.

“People are always asking, what team he will wind up with,” said Karin, whose dream scenario would have the Seattle Seahawks snag her son in the second round.

“That’s an easy drive from Yakima,” Karin said.

Depending on which website you consult, Kupp is projected to be drafted anywhere from the early second round to late in the third.

The difference can be measured in dollar signs as well as geography. The average first-year compensation (signing bonus plus salary) for a mid-second-round pick last year was about $5.5 million. Get picked two rounds later and that number is cut in half.

Kupp isn’t sweating it. He figures he’s done all he can.

“The more you focus on that stuff, the more complicated things get, and keep you from being the best player you can be,” Cooper said Tuesday from Yakima.

“I’m just excited to play the game I love,” said Kupp, who broke every major NCAA receiving record in a stellar four-year career at Eastern Washington.

He will certainly do that. For months, NFL scouts and other experts have raved about Kupp’s abilities. This from the NFL’s official site:

“Elite level of production for any level of football. … Bodies up with cornerbacks to win contested catches. … Believes he can catch every throw and is able to make the circus grab look easy. … Excellent ball tracker.”

On the debit side, nfl.com offers the following: “A little upright though his routes. … Lateral quickness out of breaks underneath provide no early separation. … Excessive fakes and jukes into breaks at times; will need to win with more efficient routes.”

And then there was Kupp’s sluggish performance in 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, a 4.62-second time that left some scouts wondering if he’ll be limited to the slot receiver position.

Kupp improved on that mark with a 4.56 at Eastern’s Pro Day, but his straight-ahead speed appears to be the main obstacle to a first-round selection.

The bottom line: Kupp is ranked among the top half-dozen receivers in most mock drafts. The consensus top three is Mike Williams of Clemson, Corey Davis of Western Michigan and John Ross from Washington.

Kupp is in the next group, and the pecking order is all over the board.

Fellow EWU receivers Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill are considered long-shot draft picks but hope to sign free-agent contracts following the draft.

Ebukam, a dynamic defensive end and sack machine for the Eagles, has received plenty of attention in the last few weeks from teams seeking an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

“I’ve been talking to a few teams,” Ebukam said.