Oakland Raiders Fill Major Need With Amari Cooper

All offseason long as the talk about who Oakland Raiders would draft in the first round went on and on, one thing was repeated time and time again. The Raiders desperately need a number one receiver and now they have one. They selected Amari Cooper with the 4th overall pick out of the the University of Alabama and filled a major need, perhaps the biggest one on the team, with the selection.

Cooper was ranked among the top 3 prospects by many scouting agencies including NFL.com, ahead of the three players drafted ahead of him Dante Fowler, Marcus Mariota, and Jameis Winston. The only player ranked ahead of Cooper by NFL.com was Leonard Williams who many believed, myself included, that the Raiders would draft. Williams was a near consensus pick as the best player in this draft class but by some miracle he ended up lasting until the 7th pick and was selected by the New York Jets.

In Cooper, the Oakland Raiders finally have the number one receiver they have been missing since Tim Brown was released by the team in 2005. They tried and failed to find that number one with the selection of Darrius Heyward-Bey in 2009 but there is no need to dredge up that sad moment in Raiders history.

Cooper was the 2014 Biletnikoff Award winner, an award given to the best college receiver in the nation giving the Raiders two winners as Michael Crabtree won the award in his senior season at Texas Tech.

Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide receiver Amari Cooper (9) runs after a reception against Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Eli Apple (13) during the third quarter in the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The former Alabama man was also a unanimous All-American and was a Heisman finalist. He is also no one year wonder like his stiffest competition at receiver Kevin White as he had two seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. The assumption could be made that he would have gotten to 1,000 or close to it in his sophomore season as he finished with 736 yards but missed two games due to injury.

His senior season was by far his best as he staked his claim as the best receiver in the country. Cooper had a ridiculous 124 catches, 1,700 yards, and 16 touchdowns in just 14 games for the Crimson Tide as he helped lead them to College Football Playoff semifinal.

He did most of his damage against SEC opponents and had three games with over 200 yards receiving against Florida, Tennesse, and Auburn. Against eventual champions Ohio State, Cooper had 9 catches for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns proving once again that he was one of the best players in college football.

With all that being said, it is obvious that the Raiders made an excellent choice and have given young quarterback Derek Carr a weapon he can hopefully utilize for the next decade. Every great quarterback has their go-to receiver, Montana/Young and Rice, Manning and Harrison, Marino and Clayton, Brady and whoever is playing WR for the Patriots, so the Raiders will hope they have found their winning combination with the addition Cooper.

The young receiver’s calm and unassuming demeanor will also be a major asset for Carr and the team as they will not have to deal with a player that has an outsized personality or ego. His maturity comes across very easily in his interviews and he can come in to camp and become a starter on Day 1. The Raiders have long been maligned for simply taking the best athlete in the draft but in Amari Cooper they may have selected the best football player.

Next: Raiders best five free agent moves

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