The New Orleans Saints had a specific vision when they moved up from No. 27 to No. 20 in the 2014 draft, and also gave Arizona a third-round pick (No. 91 overall), in order to select Brandin Cooks. This
season, it hasn’t been difficult to see what they saw.
Cooks isn’t just a deep, speed threat to stretch a secondary past its breaking point, though he capably has shown the ability to do that. More, as Drew Brees’ top target this season, he has shown an all-around route-running prowess that has lifted him to the top of New Orleans’ list in receptions (79), receiving yards (1,116) and receiving touchdowns (nine) while often being shadowed by the opponents’ top cornerback.