2022 Super Bowl: What makes Cooper Kupp so special? Bengals head coach Zac Taylor provides insight

Taylor was on the Rams coaching staff from 2017-2018

Zac Taylor had a front-row seat as Cooper Kupp set the foundation of his NFL career. The Bengals head coach was the Rams assistant receiver coach during Kupp's rookie season in 2017 and was later promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018 before departing for Cincinnati after that season. He also noted on Thursday that he was part of the wideout's private workout with the Rams at Eastern Washington leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. 

Since then, Kupp has blossomed into one of the NFL's best receivers. He just turned in a first-team All-Pro campaign during the 2021 season where he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, which were also all career-highs. 

"He's one of the smartest players I've ever been around at any position," Taylor said of Kupp. "He really approaches the game like a quarterback to be quite honest with you. … I threw to him at his private workout at Eastern Washington. (I) split time with his backup quarterback and we missed one throw on a back- end line, hammer route. I overthrew him and that was the only incompletion of the day.

"Coope (is) a big picture thinker. So he really understands the structure of the defenses, the nuances of the route running. He cares about the run game as well. There's oftentimes he would screenshot pictures of defenses with run thoughts.

"You would wake up the next morning to a midnight text from Cooper Kupp with thoughts on things that could help the offense. He's certainly rare that way."

Of course, after helping develop Kupp, he'll now need to game plan against him as the Bengals face the Rams in Super Bowl LVI, which as Taylor highlighted, is no small challenge. 

"He has great change of direction," added Taylor. "He has really good quickness. He never goes down on first contact. That's one thing if you watch him, he never goes willingly out of bounds. Never goes down on first contact. He's really strong. He's a lot like Ja'Marr (Chase) that way. I think they're very similar in the run-after-the-catch.

"He understands the defense's approach. I always remember he had a lot of conversations with the DBs. What they were thinking. 'When I line up here, what do you think I'm going to do?' He's able to play off a lot of the stuff that he noticed the defense is approaching him with."

Kupp hasn't slowed down during these playoffs either as he has 386 yards and four touchdowns on 25 receptions during Los Angeles' previous three postseason matchups that have them playing for a Super Bowl title.