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2015 NFL Draft: Top wide receivers Kevin White and Amari Cooper tape breakdowns

By Daniel

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Kevin White and Amari Cooper are the top two wide receivers in the 2015 NFL Draft. The fans of the teams that land these talented players will definitely be excited. Thus, I wanted to take a detailed look at the way both play the game. I analyzed a heap of game tape from both players and took some notes for your reading pleasure.

I also rated both players in every receiving category based on a scaled of 1-5 (1 is equivalent to a practice squad player and a 5 is equivalent to a Pro Bowl player). So take a glance at how both of these players stack up, who knows, your team may end up drafting one of these two exciting prospects.

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A Look At Kevin White

Kevin White is a wide receiver that stands at 6’3″ and 215 pounds and he played two years of college ball at West Virginia. In those years he hauled in 15 touchdowns and 144 passes (109 in 2014).

He is projected to be the first receiver selected in the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago and could easily be selected in the top-5. He didn’t win the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top wide receiver, but he did truly put up an amazing season. White also put together a great pro day and that won’t hurt his draft stock one bit.

2014 Statistics: 109 receptions, 15 touchdowns, 1447 receiving yards.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

What The Tape Says About Kevin White

White has elite leaping ability and often times his jumps perfectly and grabs the ball at his highest point. He has the ability to run deep routes on the outside, but West Virginia created many plays to get the ball in his hands on short passes across the middle of the field with room to run. His incredible speed–4.35 40-yard dash, which was third at his position at NFL Combine–allows him to outrun most defenders and he can shift directions and shake the opposition without slowing down.

He has exceptional footwork on the sidelines and has incredible focus while catching the ball falling toward the ground. White has the ability to shake defenders at the line of scrimmage on fly routes down the field, although he’ll have a harder time getting separation in the NFL. He’s a strong receiver, but if he adds a few more pounds to his frame he will be better at getting to his routes against cornerbacks that bump him at the line of scrimmage. However, this should come naturally to him as his career develops.

In the college game he was able to outrun just about every defender, but in the NFL there will be some players that can run step for step with him. He will have to depend a bit more on his stiff-arm and break tackle ability than he did at West Virginia. If he learns to shake tackles a bit better he’ll be near impossible to bring down. White is an emotional player that isn’t afraid to express himself on the field, opponents included. It’s all a part of how he plays the game and he shouldn’t change a thing.

Rating White’s Game on a 1-5 Scale

Hands: 5
Route Running: 4
Deep Threat: 4
Yards After Catch: 5
Spectacular Catch: 5
Size: 5
Speed: 5
Strength: 4

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

A Look At Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper is a 6’1″ 210 pound receiver that played the last three years with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Last year he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as well as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award.

In three seasons he caught 228 passes for 31 touchdowns with a whopping 124 receptions in 2014 — the most in the nation. If Cooper isn’t the first receiver taken in the 2015 NFL Draft, he’ll be the second.

2014 Statistics: 124 receptions, 16 touchdowns, 1727 receiving yards.

What The Tape Says About Amari Cooper

Cooper plays much faster in pads than his NFL Combine 40-yard dash time (4.86) suggests and his acceleration, when he gets the ball in his hands, is elite. He also takes proper angles to beat his opponent to the outside. He is the ultimate possession receiver that has absolutely no fear about going over the middle. It’s not uncommon for him to make the first defender miss in the open field, although he hasn’t shown a great ability at breaking tackles despite the fact that he’s the strongest receiver in the 2015 class (29 bench presses of 225 pounds at the NFL Combine).

In college, he was one of the top deep threats in the entire nation. In the NFL though, he will have to depend on solid route running to be a truly dynamic player as he won’t get near the separation on the outside at the next level. That said, he has proved that he is proficient at finding the soft spots in the defense and he should be able to translate that talent to the professional game.

He isn’t a huge jump-ball type of receiver, but he does catch the ball in stride exceptionally well. Cooper routinely secures the ball and turns upfield without wasting any motion or speed. At Alabama, Cooper ran crisp routes for the most part, specifically in the red zone. He is excellent at selling moves when he runs routes and that often results in him being wide open down field. Although he is dangerous anytime the ball is in his hands and ‘Bama designed numerous wide receiver screen passes for him while he was in Tuscaloosa.

Rating Coopers’ Game on a 1-5 Scale

Hands: 5
Route Running: 5
Deep Threat: 4
Yards After Catch: 3
Spectacular Catch: 4
Size: 4
Speed: 4
Strength: 5

In my opinion, both of these two players will be taken in the top-10 of the 2015 NFL Draft. The teams that may select these players are the Oakland Raiders (4th pick), Chicago Bears (7th pick), and the New York Giants (9th). These are the three teams that I’d assume would target these two wide receivers in the draft, but we’ll know soon enough where these two players will end up.

Most analysts believe that White will be the first wide receiver selected, but it wouldn’t shock me if Cooper is selected by the Raiders. That said, if I had to choose as to which will have the bigger rookie season in 2015 I’d have to pick White. He’s so dynamic that his explosiveness just jumps off of the tape, whereas some of Coopers’ big plays benefit from Alabama’s play-action game from its strong running game.

Which wide receiver would you rather see your team draft?

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