Houston Texans: 5 WR options better than Brandin Cooks in 2020 NFL Draft

5. Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State

Did the Houston Texans take the “safe route” and not take much risk for reward when they traded a second-round pick for Brandin Cooks? In doing so, they just might have missed out on drafting Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State.

The 6’0, 205-pound Aiyuk has an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.5, along with a 40-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 128 inches. In his draft profile of the wide receiver, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes Aiyuk can be a starter within the first two seasons of his career, and he was also compared to Robert Woods, formerly of the Buffalo Bills.

Being a late first-round to second-round projected player, the Texans draft could have easily included a young wide receiver like Aiyuk at 40th overall, or they could have traded up in the draft to get a player with the skill of Aiyuk, who also has a lot of time to improve at the NFL level.

Words like “potential” and “development” surround Aiyuk, so there are some that do believe he has a real opportunity to become a solid player in the NFL. There is also the fact he won’t take a large chunk of cash out of the bank, unlike Cooks, who will be paid a hefty sum of dollars following next season.