5 NFL Receivers Who Will Improve In 2017 (And 5 Who Won't)

Of course Brandin Cooks is at the top of this list. How on Earth could he not be? He's on the New England Patriots now and he'll be catching passes from Tom Brady. You know, the Tom Brady that just came back from a 25 point deficit in the Super Bowl? That guy, the single greatest quarterback in NFL history. What young receiver wouldn't benefit from that? And even better, Cooks is fit perfectly for the Patriots offense.

Right off the bat, Cooks becomes the Pats' #1 receiver. Brady's incumbent favorite receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are good, but neither of them have the athleticism, speed, or youth of Cooks. At 23 years of age, Cooks is going to give Brady a caliber of weapon that he hasn't had since Randy Moss. With all the talent Brady has to throw to and the way the Patriots' offense runs, maximizing gains on short but sure passes to work up the field, Cooks is going to have no problem getting free and making big plays.

The union of Cooks and Tom Terrific brings the Patriots' offense to another level of dangerous and makes the prospects of another deep playoff run almost inevitable.