[Editor's note: Promoted from the FanPost.] -- The Philadelphia Eagles are rumored to have interest in trading for the 23-year-old Brandin Cooks out of New Orleans. Cooks was drafted 20th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft when the Saints traded up past the Eagles to draft him. The Eagles had interest in drafting Cooks that night 22nd overall which is probably a big reason as to why the Saints traded up. Now just how good is he, what is the cost, and ultimately is he worth it?

SPEED

First off, let's look at Brandin Cooks the player. He is 5'10, 190 pounds with 4.33 speed. He is not the biggest player, however he is compact and strong for his size, similar to a Darren Sproles. His biggest trait is SPEED. He is one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL and routinely makes big plays downfield. He had a yards per reception of 15.0 (5th best in NFL), a long of 98 (1st), and 6 receptions of 40 yards or more(1st).

Here's Cooks lined up on the outside against Packers cornerback Tramon Williams. Cooks does an excellent job of faking outside to flip Tramon's hips, however Micah Hyde is there for over the top help. Despite Hyde's help, Cooks completely blows right past both of them for the touchdown.

Here Cooks is in the slot lined up against Cardinals athletic cornerback Patrick Peterson. Cooks stutters at the beginning, and then takes off right past Peterson. Peterson is a rare physical specimen so this is very impressive.

Cooks is opposite of Jaguars cornerback Marshall, and Cooks shows the special second gear he has just blowing right past him. That is a rare trait in the NFL.

Last but not least we have Cooks lined up opposite of the Raiders' Sean Smith (a high priced free agent corner). Cooks stutters. and then blows right past Sean Smith on the outside. Smith's game is based on physicality, but due to Cooks' quickness he was unable to get a single finger on him which led to a 98-yard touchdown which was in fact the longest reception of the 2016 NFL season.

Cooks' speed is clearly evident. That is what he is known for. Everyone is familiar with his 4.33 40-yard-dash at the 2014 NFL Combine. However those that think he is a one trick pony are wrong. Unlike most smaller speedy receivers, Cooks does a great job of high pointing the football.

HIGH-POINTING THE FOOTBALL

Brandin Cooks is fast. Very fast. But so is Phillip Dorset. So is Bryce Treggs. Speed alone doesn't make you a No. 1 or even a good NFL receiver. Thankfully for Brandin Cooks speed isn't his only tool. Unlike most smaller receivers he does a fantastic job of high-pointing the football. At 5'10 this would be your biggest worry, however he shows exceptional ability in this department.



In this play cooks adjusts to a poorly thrown ball by Drew Brees who throws it well behind Cooks. Cooks, despite his momentum, is able to stop, turn around, and make a circus catch. A very impressive catch that shows his ability to CREATE plays.

On this play Cooks is on a go route, however Drew Brees badly under throws him, which means Cooks has to come back, high-point the ball and secure it to the ground while having two 49ers in the vicinity. He expressed great awareness, effort, and catching ability here. Not something you would expect from a 5'10 player.

In this clip Cooks runs a comeback route versus Seattle's DeShawn Shead. He shows tremendous quickness in his break at the end of the route, and then finishes it with an incredible catch, leaping as far as he can and then subtly plucking it out of the air. This perfectly shows his ability at high-pointing the football and his natural hands.

ROUTE RUNNING

Route running might be the most important aspect to a wide receiver's game. Not every wide receiver is an athletic freak that can rely on 4.3 speed to get open. Cooks is very good in this aspect. I think Cooks has "deceptive" route running ability. What I mean by this is that his athleticism has set a floor for him. Cooks is lightning quick that his route running ability already has a floor, yet he can still improve to an elite level. Despite this, he still gets impressive separation.

On this play, Cooks is on the outside and runs an in route. He doesn't sell out inside, and then makes a quick, effective, and sharp route, that creates roughly 3-4 yards of separation. He then makes the tough catch over the middle and braces for the hit.

In this clip, Cooks is selling the out route and then in a flash cuts it up field and its game over. The instant the corner fell for Cooks trap, he was done. He did a perfect job of selling and then executing the double move. Cooks' strength is definitely double moves.

In this clip, Cooks once again finds himself on Peterson Island. Cooks runs an out route, and despite not doing a great job of selling the route, his quickness and agility allows him to get enough separation to make a fantastic catch on the boundaries. And he does in fact get both feet in bounds.

This is what I mean by deceptive route running ability. His route running ability, while good, is not great. Despite the fact that he doesn't always do a great job of selling the route, his unreal athleticism still allows him to get a ton of separation in breaks. Now this isn't to say that his route running isn't good. It is good. I'm just saying to say he could be EVEN BETTER. That's a scary thought to think that his route running could get even better than what it already is.

YARDS AFTER CATCH

Naturally, with a guy like Cooks who possesses elite athleticism, he should excel with yards after catch. And he does. Whether it's a screen, jet sweep, underneath route, or anything that gets him in space, he can put that explosiveness to work.

Here Cooks is lined up in man coverage versus elite Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu is very instinctive and athletic in coverage, regularly switching from corner to safety for the Cardinals. Despite this Mathieu has no chance. Cooks beats him on the slant, and then turns up field and leaves three Cardinals defenders in the dust for the touchdown.

Here he is lined up against Giants cornerback Trevin Wade. This is a simple slant versu man coverage that Cooks takes it to the house. Being able to take a quick slant and turn it into a touchdown is the very definition of explosive. Think back to Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015 versus the Falcons. How about Julio Jones this year versus the Panthers. Or DeSean Jackson who does this on a consistent basis. It requires a very explosive player to be able to do this, which Cooks clearly is.

In this clip, Cooks does a great job of making a finger tip catch on a low thrown ball. After he catches he shows great patience and vision in the open field making a nice gain of about 20 yards after the catch.

Last but not least here is another clip putting Cooks' rare athleticism on display. He runs a simple drag, however shoots it up field very quickly and then finishes the play off with an impressive hurdle. That is incredible expansiveness 5'10 football player.

CONTESTED CATCHES

The last thing you'd contribute with a small, fast wide receiver is their physicality, toughness, or the ability to make tough catches in contact. However, Cooks displays great hands and a great ability to make tough catches in traffic.

Here Cooks is going up against one of the best corners: Lions' Darius Slay. Slay has him plastered, yet a perfectly thrown ball, and a great one-handed catch by cooks despite falling backwards with Slay all over him.

Despite getting hit by two Jaguars at the same time he is still able to reel in the tough catch. He is more than capable of going over the middle and catching some tough passes.

Here Cooks runs a post route over the middle and despite having D.J. Hayden and Reggie Nelson draped over him he still holds onto the football.

Cooks also does a good job of making sideline catches. Here he is working against Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby. Despite a very tight window, Cooks manages to not only catch the football but also get both feet in bounds while Roby is tumbling down on him.

Here is Cooks once again versus the Broncos. Cooks runs a fly route, and once again makes a very tough catch despite having both Bradley Roby and T.J. Ward barreling down on him. Again, not something you would consistently expect from a 5'10, 190 pound receiver. I would also like to remind you that those are some pretty good defenders he was burning.

BALL TRACKING

The deep ball requires much more than just speed to perfect. Often time people will see "sub 4.4" or "4.3" and instantly claim him a deep threat. However, it requires much more than just speed to be a deep threat. A recent Philadelphia receiver was an adequate deep threat in 2013 because of his ability to track the football despite his lack of speed. His name was Riley Cooper. Luckily, Brandin Cooks does in fact have very good ball tracking ability. He also shows great overall concentration and awareness of where the football is at all times in the air.

In this first clip Cooks shows off that great concentration and awareness. Despite falling backwards he is still able to track and snag the football with just one hand. Very impressive overall play.

Here Cooks is running a fly route versus Greg Toler of the Colts. Cooks runs right past Toler with ease and then does a great job of tracking and then plucking the football. This is a simple, yet very crucial element for the deep ball to work.

Last but not least, here is both a perfect pass and catch from Brees to Cooks. This play was a perfect back shoulder throw by Brees, however Cooks finished the play off in very impressive fashion. Cooks does a great job of tracking the football, and goes to the outside and makes the leaping grab. That alone is impressive. There are a lot of receivers that cant pull that off. But for the cherry on top cooks manages to stay in bounds and get into the end zone. Truly an incredible play.

TOUGHNESS

I once saw a Steve Smith senior comparison for Brandin Cooks. If you didn't know, the 5'9" Steve Smith is one of the nastiest and most physical wide receivers this game has ever seen. I wouldn't go that far with Cooks, however Cooks is chiseled at 5'10. He is not your average "small" wide receiver. He will go over the middle, hold onto a tough catch, take a hard hit and immediately get up and show off. He is not about looking weak. He has a swag and confidence factor to his game. With a DeSean Jackson you might have to hold your breath about him taking a big hit over the middle. But the compactly built Cooks has no problem with that.

On this play Cooks makes a catch over the middle and braces for impact knowing he is going to take a big hit. After he absorbs the big hit, he immediately gets up and does his signature "archer" celebration.

Here Cooks jumps for a ball knowing full well he is about to take a big hit from Giants hard hitting rookie safety Darian Thompson. After taking the big hit, Cooks immediately gets right up once again.

This play Cooks takes a monster shot from Broncos safety T.J. Ward, yet still holds onto the football and wastes no time at all getting up and talking his crap.

Overall you are not gonna find many players his size tougher than him. He may be 5'10, but he is 190 pounds of solid compact muscle. For example, Cooks put up 16 reps of 225 in the 2014 NFL Combine. Mike Williams, who is thought of as a physical monster, put up 15 this year, one less than cooks. That is not to say that Cooks is more physical than Williams, just to say Cooks is very strong despite his size.

CONCLUSION

It is quite possible that the Eagles may have to surrender their 14th overall pick to get Cooks. If so, I am on board with this.

Some people will say "too much to give up for him". However, I argue that if Cooks was in this draft he would be a top 15 pick. Cooks is after all just 23 years old. The same age as Dede Westbrook and Cooper Kupp. Except, you know he has three years of experience and is proven with back to back 1100 yard seasons. Could John Ross, Corey Davis, or Mike Williams be better than cooks? Sure. But it's not a guarantee.

The Eagles need both receivers for the now and for the future. They also need a deep threat and a No. 1 WR. When you look at the free agent wide receivers, Alshon Jeffery looks nice, but he is 27 years old, has injury and suspension problems, hasn't posted 1,000 yards in two years, and is set to make $14-15M per season. Kenny Stills, while only 24 years old and being a deep threat has been a career complimentary piece and is expected to garner $10-12M per. Terrelle Pryor's lone season was just over 1,000 yards and he is almost 28. DeSean Jackson, Kenny Britt, and Pierre Garcon are all nice but again are old and short-term pieces at best.

In the draft I love mike Williams and Corey Davis. But who knows if they will be there. On top of that you don't know if they will be good in their rookie year or maybe even ever. Cooks is just 23 years old and has had back to back 1100 yard seasons. He fits the bill for both short term and long term need at WR. He was a number No. 1 WR in 2015 and had very good production, so you can check number No. 1 WR off the checklist. And on top of that he has 4.33 speed which checks off the deep threat. So in Cooks you would get a a 23 year old short and long-term player with the No. 1 WR pedigree and 4.33 deep threat speed all in one package. If he was available in this draft he would no doubt be a top 15 pick.

And I personally do not care that he will be getting a big pay day soon. Trading the Eagles' first-round pick and also paying Cooks 15m per is more beneficial than signing a guy like Kenny Stills, or counting on a Day 2 WR to become THE guy. Why risk it when Cooks is THE guy already? The bottom line is Cooks is a 23-year-old No. 1 wide receiver who possesses both 4.33 speed and advanced wide receiver qualities. If Howie Roseman is serious about getting Carson Wentz a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver then Cooks is his best bet. No, Cooks is not Julio Jones or Antonio Brown. But he doesn't have to be to provide the eagles with what they need.