Brandin Cooks
Generated by GPT-5-miniExpansion Funnel Raw 73 → Dedup 0 → NER 0 → Enqueued 0
| Brandin Cooks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Brandin Cooks |
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Birth date | 25 September 1993 |
| Birth place | Shreveport, Louisiana, United States |
| Height in | 10 |
| Weight lb | 189 |
| College | Oregon State; Auburn |
| Draftyear | 2014 |
| Draftpick | 20 |
| Teams | * New Orleans Saints (2014–2016) * New England Patriots (2017) * Los Angeles Rams (2017–2018) * Houston Texans (2019–2021) * Seattle Seahawks (2022) * Dallas Cowboys (2023–present) |
Brandin Cooks (born September 25, 1993) is an American professional gridiron football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Known for elite speed and deep-route ability, he played collegiately at Oregon State and the Auburn Tigers before becoming a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Cooks has been a key contributor on multiple playoff teams and has set franchise and league marks for kickoff returns and receiving yards.
Early life and high school
Cooks was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and grew up in the Allendale neighborhood before attending C. E. Byrd High School in Shreveport. At Byrd he starred in football and track, competing in events that linked him with regional programs such as Louisiana High School Athletic Association meets and attracting attention from recruiting services including Rivals.com and ESPN. High school coaches compared his speed to prominent athletes from Bossier Parish and the Ark-La-Tex region; he earned all-district and all-state recognition while participating in postseason showcases alongside prospects bound for Division I FBS programs.
College career
Cooks began his collegiate career with the Oregon State Beavers, where he played under coaches including Mike Riley and contributed in the Pac-12 Conference as a deep-threat receiver and kickoff returner. After two seasons in Corvallis he transferred to Auburn University and joined the Auburn Tigers football program under head coach Gus Malzahn. At Auburn he featured in offenses involving quarterbacks such as Cameron Newton's successor-era systems and competed in postseason bowls like the Outback Bowl and Chick-fil-A Bowl. His college tenure put him in the same collegiate milieu as peers from Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss and positioned him for the 2014 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Selected 20th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, Cooks joined an offense led by quarterback Drew Brees and coaches such as Sean Payton. He recorded a Pro Bowl-caliber rookie season and continued producing in the NFC South against divisional rivals like the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2017 he was traded to the New England Patriots where he participated in postseason play including the 2017 AFC Championship Game run to Super Bowl LII preparations; shortly thereafter he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and played under head coach Sean McVay, contributing to the Rams' deep passing attack and appearing in matchups against franchises such as the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. In 2019 Cooks was traded to the Houston Texans in a multi-team transaction and lined up opposite receivers from the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts on the schedule. He later signed with the Seattle Seahawks and then joined the Dallas Cowboys, continuing to produce yards after catch and big-play receptions for playoff-aspiring teams coached by staff with ties to Bill Parcells-era personnel and modern coordinator strategies.
Playing style and achievements
Cooks is widely regarded for game-breaking speed, route-running that emphasizes vertical stems, and ability to stretch defenses, drawing comparisons to deep threats from Pro Football Hall of Fame rosters and modern receivers on All-Pro lists. Scouts from NFL Scouting Combine evaluations highlighted his 40-yard dash times and change-of-direction metrics that mirrored elite sprinters from NCAA Track and Field programs. Defenses from the NFC and AFC schemes game-planned for his motion and jet sweeps in personnel groupings used in contests like Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football. His achievements include multiple 1,000-yard seasons, significant special-teams contributions as a kickoff returner, and selections to postseason honors such as the Pro Bowl.
Personal life
Off the field, Cooks has familial and community ties to Shreveport and participates in charitable endeavors often coordinated with local foundations and team-run outreach initiatives associated with the NFL Players Association. He has appeared in media interviews alongside personalities from outlets like ESPN, Fox Sports, and regional newspapers; his social media presence connects him with teammates from franchises spanning the NFC and AFC.
Records and honors
Cooks' professional honors include Pro Bowl recognition and franchise milestones such as single-season receiving yard rankings within the New Orleans Saints and league-wide rankings for yards per reception. He holds club-level kickoff return or receiving distance marks set during matchups against teams like the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Pittsburgh Steelers, and has been cited in statistical compilations by organizations such as Pro Football Reference and ESPN Stats & Info.
Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:American football wide receivers Category:Oregon State Beavers football players Category:Auburn Tigers football players Category:New Orleans Saints players Category:New England Patriots players Category:Los Angeles Rams players Category:Houston Texans players Category:Seattle Seahawks players Category:Dallas Cowboys players