Amari Cooper Praised By Raiders Legends Tim Brown, Cliff Branch

Amari Cooper is the consensus top receiver in the 2015 NFL Draft, coming out of Alabama as a Heisman finalist who was nearly unstoppable in the passing game on the way to another SEC title for the Crimson Tide this past season. A season where Cooper showcased enough talent that he is projected to be one of the first non-quarterbacks taken in the first round on Thursday.

With the Oakland Raiders sitting fourth overall, there is a good chance that general manager Reggie McKenzie could have an opportunity to select Cooper tomorrow. A potential opportunity that has many fans excited at the chance for the franchise to pair a potential star wide receiver with promising young quarterback Derek Carr. A duo that could push the Raiders to the next level on offense for years to come.

Legendary Raiders wide receivers Cliff Branch and Tim Brown feel that is the route that McKenzie should go if the opportunity presents itself, praising Cooper in the lead up to the first round selections. Touting the potential of a player that the legendary receiving duo are hoping finds his way to Oakland, telling Raiders reporter Jerry McDonald they both feel that Cooper could be a star with the team if he is drafted fourth overall.

From McDonald: 

"How badly would Cliff Branch like to see the Raiders’ long-standing problem at wide receiver be solved on Thursday?“I am on my knees every day, begging and pleading to Mark Davis to get Amari Cooper,” said one of the most decorated wide receivers in franchise history.That feeling is seconded by another Raiders receiving legend, recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Tim Brown.“From what I saw from Amari Cooper, he is very special,” said Brown, the Raiders’ all-time leading receiver with 1,070 receptions for 14,734 and 99 touchdowns. “He’s a guy that can come in and be a Day 1 starter and I think it would be wise of them to bring in another guy to go with Michael Crabtree. You’ve got a veteran and a young guy you can build this thing around for years to come.”"

There has been plenty of debate over which route the Raiders should go with the fourth overall pick, with a vocal segment of fans wanting (and hoping) that the team will have the chance to go after defensive lineman Leonard Williams out of USC. Building a pass rush equally as important as finding a top wideout to some analysts and fans, even if the team drafted Khalil Mack last year instead of addressing what is a slightly weak receiver group in Oakland.

With plenty of depth on the board at wideout it may make sense for McKenzie to wait until the second round for a receiver in the hopes that a long list of enticing names find their way to the early second round, something that appears to be a guarantee when you look at the amount of impact players available at the position. Don’t tell that to Brown or Branch however as the two legendary receivers are eager to see the tradition continue with Amari Cooper joining the Silver and Black, if that did happen the Raiders offense would be in a far better position on Thursday night than before the first round of the draft. Reggie McKenzie has a difficult decision to make tomorrow, but if you ask two of the Raiders legends, it is a no-brainer to bring in Cooper.