Cooper Kupp didn’t exactly dominate the NFL Scouting Combine in 2017. He ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash, had a 31-inch vertical and a 116-inch broad jump, and didn’t show the explosiveness teams typically seek in wide receivers.
Despite catching 428 passes and scoring 73 touchdowns at Eastern Washington, Kupp’s stock dropped leading up to the draft, causing him to go in the third round – which the Rams were happy about because they stole him at No. 69 overall.
During Les Snead and Sean McVay’s pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, Kupp crashed the session and asked Snead a question about how much he values 40-yard dash times.
“Hey Les, can you address how you value the 40-yard dash going through the draft process?” Kupp jokingly asked.
“You know what, some players prove the 40-yard dash wrong and then some players, we don’t listen to our own Bobby Wagner Rule and we wait till the third round because they run slower 40s instead of picking them a little earlier,” Snead replied.
Kupp: “I respect it. I respect that process.”
Cooper Kupp crashed the Rams' pre-draft presser to ask Les Snead about the value of 40-yard dash times 😂 (via Rams/YouTube)
➡️ https://t.co/Oqob6KxNLp pic.twitter.com/jeo6xdJ01Q
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 27, 2022
Snead said the Rams should’ve listened to their Bobby Wagner Rule and picked Kupp earlier because they liked him a lot as a player, but they waited until the third and thankfully, he was still available – unlike Wagner in 2012 after the Rams traded away from him.
Kupp has proved everyone wrong after his historic 2021 season, showing that 40-yard dash times aren’t as important as some people make them out to be.