The 25 best Boston sports athletes under the age of 25

2. Brandin Cooks, Patriots

It took Brandin Cooks a few games to build up some chemistry with Tom Brady, and now that he’s played 10 games you can see why he’s a top weapon in the league. So far in 2017 Cooks has 45 receptions for 786 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cooks said recently that he wants to stay in New England for the rest of his career, and Patriots fans must hope that dream comes true.

"“The goal is to play the rest of my career here. That’s God willing. I don’t know what the future holds, but this is a special place.”"

Brady and Cooks have hooked up for a few long balls already this season, and it will be fun to see what they do against the onslaught of AFC East opponents that are upcoming. The duo will also be huge in the playoffs, and probably in the Super Bowl as well.

Just the threat of Brandin Cooks is enough to make a difference for the New England Patriots offense. Opponents must decide whether they want to cover him, or monster tight end Rob Gronkowski. There’s no way to shut down both, and one or the other is going to have a huge game each and every week for the Patriots.