College Football

Rams select Eastern Washington's Kupp

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:37 p.m. ET

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AP

(STATS) - Call it the perfect catch.

The Los Angeles Rams would not be surprised if it turns out that way following their third-round selection of Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp with the No. 69 overall pick at the NFL Draft on Friday night in Philadelphia.

Kupp arrives to the Rams as the most prolific pass catcher in college football history. Over his four-year career, he set Division I records for receptions (428), receiving yards (6,464) and touchdown receptions (73).

The seventh wide receiver taken in the seven-round draft that runs through Saturday, Kupp became the 17th selection in Eastern Washington history. From that group, only former 10-year NFL offensive lineman Michael Roos, whom the Tennessee Titans picked 41st overall in the second round of the 2005 draft, was selected higher than Kupp.

Said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.: "Nothing bothers this kid. He plays with great savvy, great intelligence as a football player. He knows how to get open."

If Kupp's success in the NFL is even close to his college exploits, it would be a Pro Bowl level.

The 6-foot-1½, 205-pound Kupp, from Yakima, Washington, was a four-time first-team FCS All-American and established 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky Conference and 26 Eastern Washington records. The only player to win both the Jerry Rice Award (2013) as the FCS freshman of the year and the Walter Payton Award (2015) as the FCS offensive player of the year had at least 100 receiving yards in 31 of his 52 career games and never failed to catch at least two passes in a game.

As a senior, Kupp caught a Big Sky-record 117 passes for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also threw for two scores and accounted for one on both a carry and a punt return.

"We congratulate Cooper Kupp," Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said. "Everything he's accomplished, he's earned, and he's earned the right to play in the NFL. His former staff and teammates, and all the Eastern fans out there, are rooting for him 100 percent. We're excited for him and know he has better things to come."

Kupp's family will become the fifth to have three generations represented in the NFL. Cooper's paternal grandfather, Jake, was the Dallas Cowboys' ninth-round pick in 1964 and spent 12 seasons as an offensive guard in four organizations, mostly with the New Orleans Saints as he became a member of their Hall of Fame. His father, Craig, was a quarterback and the New York Giants' fifth-round pick in 1990, although his one season in the NFL - 1991 - was spent with the Cowboys and Phoenix Cardinals.

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