No. 10 Pace Duel: Can Tre’quan Smith finish with a better rookie season than Brandin Cooks?

There is definitely an afterlife.

I’m convinced of this after watching the ghost of Brandin Cooks parade around NFL Stadiums in a Rams jersey this past year following his run-in with Malcolm Jenkins in Super Bowl LII.

During his stint with the Saints, Cooks wore the No. 10 Jersey and became known for his bow and arrow celebration while connecting with Drew Brees on deep balls galore for the first three years of his career. Then, along came some hotshot rookie in 2016 by the name of Michael Thomas (perhaps you’ve heard of him) to steal a bit of his thunder. Witnessing a decreasing role, Cooks pretty much forced his way out of town with a little assist from General Manager Mickey Loomis and company, as they looked to swap assets and fix the defense.

So, here we are Susan...

The Saints have a new kid on the Bourbon Block going by the name of Tre’Quan Smith, and shortly after his arrival to New Orleans, they decided to take on the challenge of following in Cooks foot steps by selecting that very same number.

”I’m not afraid of expectations if they’re held high,” he said. “I know I’m a competitor, and just being a competitor, you want things to be hard. You don’t want nothing to come easy. ”You want things to be hard as a competitor because you know when you’re competing that’s when you’re at your best

That got me thinking in terms of Yacko, Wacko, and Dot Dot Dot Dot Dot - Could Tre’quan outduel the previous No. 10?

For reference, in 10 games (coincidence), Cooks had 53 receptions for 550 yards and 3 touchdowns on 70 targets with a 10.4 yard average. He also added 25 first downs to those totals along with a rushing TD, but we’re looking at this from a receiver standpoint — as I don’t expect Smith to be involved in any gadget plays.

Personally, I think Smith will eclipse him in yards and TDs, but may struggle to get the number of targets that Cooks received due to how Drew Brees spreads the ball around, resulting in fewer catches. There’s also this thing of him currently being No. 4 on the depth chart, whereas Cooks came in as the de facto No. 1 that year. Even with those obstacles in his path, I expect the rookie to make a ton of plays like the one below.

What do you think people? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comment section! Who Dat!