Amari Cooper was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the type of target that the Raiders wanted to bring in to be the primary wide receiver for second-year quarterback Derek Carr. There is quite a bit of hype surrounding Cooper’s first game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals and he has a lot to live up to with the hype.
What should the fans be expecting to see from the Raiders’ new top wide receiver in Week 1?
At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Cooper isn’t the most intimidating wide receiver from a physical appearance standpoint. He has the athleticism to win jump balls over most defensive backs, but the Raiders aren’t going to be able to throw over the top of everyone and ask him to go get the football. Where Cooper is going to make his mark on the field this season, is with his speed and ability to make something out of nothing.
Not only can he be a deep threat for Carr, he is also more than capable of being an impact playmaker in the short passing game in the open field. If the Raiders can get him the football with room to run, there won’t be many defensive players that will be able to stay with him and bring him down.
During his 2014 season with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Cooper ended up catching 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was a threat everywhere on the field for Nick Saban’s offense and was one of the Heisman Trophy award finalists. Marcus Mariota ended up winning the award, but Cooper was more than deserving of it.
Cincinnati has a very solid defense, but they don’t have any one defensive back that will be able to stick with Cooper.
Carr showed the potential to be a legitimate star quarterback in the future as a rookie last season. Cooper is walking into a situation where he will immediately become the top target for Carr and should be seeing quite a few passes coming his way immediately.
New Raiders’ head coach Jack Del Rio is going to do everything in his power to get the young receiver open with space to run. He will use him in many different places on the field and will also run quite a few different routes with him. There is a good chance that they will allow Cooper to run deep routes early and often against Cincinnati, which could result in a long touchdown or two.
That being said, what are realistic expectations for the rookie receiver in his NFL debut this week?
Week 1 Prediction: Seven Receptions, 86 Yards, TD
