Written by Andrew Clayman

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Brandon Weeden compares him to Wes Welker. Solomon Wilcots sees a lot of Brandon Stokley in him. And some drunk dude in the Muni lot calls him the second coming of Brian Brennan. Yes, we’re merely two games into the pro career of rookie Josh Cooper, but the reviews already seem unanimous. The Browns finally have themselves a bona fide white receiver! --I mean WIDE receiver! Wide Receiver, obviously, is what I meant and what everyone else meant, as well.

Let’s start with the wisdom of Solomon. As CBS’s go-to commentator for “other games in your area,” Wilcots has been contractually obligated to watch a lot of expansion Browns football over the years. As a consequence, he is uniquely versed in Cleveland’s endlessly fruitless search for a viable receiving threat-- making his high praise of the 23 year-old Cooper all the more encouraging. “You think about what Welker does for Tom Brady in New England, or Stokley in Denver,” he said, “and that’s what Josh Cooper gives Brandon Weeden in this Cleveland Browns offense. … Any team could use that type of guy.”

It’s so true, Solomon! And as it happens, "that type of guy” also seems to sell a weirdly disproportionate number of jerseys relative to his skill level. Who knows why? People just really love undersized possession receivers!

Anyway, now that Super Cooper Mania is clearly upon us, it’s probably worth asking, “who is this guy and what makes him different?” Well, on a Browns offense littered with baby-faced greenhorns, J.C. (do what you will with the Biblical connotations of the kid’s initials) has emerged as an unlikely standout since hopping off the practice squad in Week Six. He certainly isn’t the deep threat of fellow rookie receivers Josh Gordon (2nd round) or Travis Benjamin (4th round), but as a former trusted target of Weeden at OK State, the undrafted Cooper provides a certain je ne sais quoi that has some fans recalling the tough-nosed, sure-handed likes of guys like Don Beebe, or Wayne Chrebet, or hell, maybe even Ed McCaffrey!

“I never heard of him until the Bengals game,” exclaimed the drunk dude in the Muni lot, pointing to the makeshift J.C. jersey he’d fashioned by duct taping a scrap of paper to his back with “Cooper” scribbled on it in magic marker. “But I gotta tell ya, I was here in the ‘80s when that little white guy [a lazy and racially irrelevant reference to ex-Browns receiver Brian Brennan] used to catch every [expletive] thing thrown anywhere near him, man. This Cooper… he reminds me a lot of that guy for some reason.”

Perhaps no one is more excited about Cooper’s arrival, of course, than his good buddy Weeden—whose praise has included the aforementioned comparisons to Wes Welker (based solely on their reliable hands and YAC capabilities, of course), as well an eye-opening statement repeated several times during the last two Browns telecasts. 

From the mouth of Solomon’s D-list crewmate Kevin Harlan: “Brandon Weeden has said that he actually trusted Josh Cooper more than any of his other receivers at Oklahoma State, including Justin Blackmon!”

Yup, Cleveland’s wrinkly rookie QB has claimed that he felt more comfortable throwing to the 5-foot-11, 195 pound Cooper in college than Blackmon-- a Biletnikoff trophy winner and first round pick (taken 20 spots ahead of Weeden himself). That BFF sort of bond has been evident in Weeden and Cooper’s first six hook-ups thus far for the Browns, too—all of which moved the chains (for a total of 92 yards or 15 per catch).

With the gifted youngsters Greg Little and Josh Gordon each drawing headlines for key drops in recent weeks, Cooper has also rapidly emerged as a sort of “throwback” to “old school,” “fundamental” football, drawing acclaim for his “steady mitts,” “solid form,” and— as a surprising number of publications have put it-- “boyish charm.”

“Cooper is sort of like a smaller, quicker Jordy Nelson,” said another random Browns fan—clearly referring to the two players’ comparable route running tendencies. 

Of course, now that the rest of the league has been made aware of his unique skill set, Josh Cooper’s future in the NFL will almost certainly hinge on his ability to adapt and earn his keep amongst a sea of steep competition. Will he join the great fraternity of elite pro receivers that includes—just off the top of my head—Steve Largent, Cris Collinsworth, and Dwight Clark? Or will he flame out like, say, Darrin Chiaverini? Either way, better order that #88 jersey white away! –Err, right away. Obviously. Is what we all meant.