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New Orleans Saints 2015 Year in Review: Brandin Cooks

By Andrew Schuster

Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) gestures after a catch in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) gestures after a catch in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brandin Cooks emerged as the top option through the air for quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in 2015.

Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State, wide receiver Brandin Cooks has quickly emerged into one of the NFL’s most dangerous offensive threats and the go-to man for Drew Brees.

There was no ‘sophomore slump’ for Brandin Cooks.  After his rookie season came to an early end by way of a hand injury, he immediately bounced back in 2015, which started as soon as he stepped out onto the field at minicamp in June.  He had a bit of a slow start to the regular season but quickly found his way.

Lightning speed, versatility, great hands, and excellent route-running skills assisted in his efforts to break the 1,000-yard receiving barrier in 2015 with a grand total of 1,138 yards on 84 catches, tallying nine trips to the end zone in the process.

Check out this highlight tape of Brandin Cooks’ 2015 campaign for a little reminder of how good he truly is:

Unfortunately, the Saints struggled tremendously in 2015, turning in their third 7-9 season in four years, no thanks to an abomination of a performance on the defensive side of the ball.

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Brandin Cooks, however, was one of the few bright spots New Orleans had on display, and his efforts helped the ‘Black and Gold’ remain an NFL powerhouse on offense, a unit that finished second in total offense, first in passing yards per game and eighth in scoring.  But that still wasn’t good enough, again, thanks to a historically bad defense.

Next: Keys to a successful Saints offseason

Cooks, who is really more of a true No. 2 wide receiver due to his small stature, looks to continue his development this offseason in hopes of becoming an even better player next year.  Maybe the Saints can hit on another wideout in this year’s draft, a big body perhaps, to place opposite of the speed demon.  But hats off to Brandin Cooks — his future in the Big Easy is very bright.

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