Although he led the nation in receptions by a tight end his senior year, he had achieved this feat at Utah State, a team with which most Redskins fans were barely familiar. Cooley was the Redskins’ third-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Yet, from those anonymous beginnings, Cooley quickly became an indispensable part of the Redskins’ offense—and one of the most popular players of his era.
Cooley saw playing time from the outset during his rookie year, but he wasn’t a significant part of Washington’s scheme until the second half of the season. In fact, Cooley recorded at least three catches during each of the final six games of 2004.