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Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
This decision was tough! We all know Raiders need a lot of players to make a real threat of a team. But the most glaring need to me was WR. The choice became really difficult deciding which WR to go with. Obviously both Kevin White and Amari Cooper were the top talents at the position, and I don't have many negative things to say about White, so I will just try and make my case for Cooper.
First off, he brings NFL readiness to a team that lacks a WR threat. I think he compliments Derek Carr very nicely and would make Carr's second year around, a bit easier. The Raiders' leading WR last year had 693 Yards on 47 receptions with 4 TD. That is just slightly better then the infamous Riley Cooper. So realistically either White, (Amari) Cooper, or a bucket on wheels is an upgrade. But what you get with Cooper is more experience, a well polished player, and I know its not significantly important, but he is a year younger. Cooper changed games last year, with over 1700 yards, 124 rec, and 16 TD. But where he really sticks out on paper to me was one specific stat. That is TD on 1st down. Now this is obviously not a common stat to talk about, but one that really shows us a lot. Cooper had 11 TD on first down. Only one of them was from 1st and goal. That means 10 times he took a ball on first down to the house, with a long of 80 yards. To me that is a game changer. Raiders receivers last year had a combined 3 TD on 1st and 10+ to go. And out of the top 5 WR's of last year the closest player to Cooper's number, was Jordy Nelson with 4. To add a weapon that can score at anytime is extremely helpful. Especially when you have a QB who is growing, a RB who shows strong potential, and a solid defense that is just always on the field and down points.
Why not White? Mainly because I think Cooper is NFL ready and I think White is the exact opposite. Don't get me wrong I think White has great potential, but has much less experience in football. They both are massive upgrades at the position, but at the moment I believe Cooper has the slight edge.
As a side note, I would not be shocked at all if Raiders trade back. They could go back to 6 or even 10 and get either one of these receivers. But there are clearly no trades in this mock draft.
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3) Jacksonville Jaguars ("Snax") - Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, UF - [Explanation]
4) Oakland Raiders (kylebruneault) - Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama - [Explanation]
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