Oakland Raiders Draft Amari Cooper: JBB Staff Reaction

Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Amari Cooper (9) runs the ball agains the defense of Missouri Tigers safety Braylon Webb (9) during the first quarter of the 2014 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

As everyone in Raider Nation knows with the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft officially over, the Oakland Raiders opted to select the best wideout in the class with their fourth overall selection by drafting Alabama star Amari Cooper. Forgoing the opportunity to make Leonard Williams’ dream of joining his childhood team by going with a weapon over Derek Carr instead of adding to their defensive line in Round One.

The selection excited fans, who were in a win-win situation with two potential franchise players left on the board when the Raiders were on the clock. But the question everyone wants to know (not really) is what the Just Blog Baby staff thinks about the pick.

Luckily Editor-In-Chief Chase Ruttig chained the staff to their laptops on Thursday night and forced them all to react to the Cooper pick. Following are their initial thoughts on the newest wide receiver in Oakland and the decision to select Cooper over Williams with the fourth pick.

Chase Ruttig (Editor-In-Chief) 

This is a pick that sets the Oakland Raiders offense up for the future, Amari Cooper is clearly a player who can be a number one wideout as he showed at Alabama where he was impossible to cover in their run to another SEC Championship. A run where he showed he was going to be the first receiver taken with outstanding play.

This is a player who played in several games last season that were some of the biggest games of the year in college football, delivering in each one. Putting an Alabama team that had an uncertain situation on his back, making Blake Sims a capable passer and ultimately helping Lane Kiffin survive the pressure as offensive coordinator. All while playing for a school where legacies are made every single time they play a conference game in what is the best league in football outside of the NFL in the SEC. There is a reason that Cooper got the hype he got in 2014 every weekend, it is because the man is clutch and makes big plays. That is why Reggie McKenzie made his pick so quickly on Thursday night in Chicago.

However it is hard to look past passing on Leonard Williams, a USC defensive lineman who wanted badly to become a Raider. A lifelong fan of the team who could have been a monster paired with Khalil Mack, something that leaves somewhat of a sour taste for those who wanted the team to go defense in Round One and offense in Round Two. A formula that worked very well last year for Reggie McKenzie.

Despite preference, Cooper will likely be another franchise player for a team that needs franchise players badly. His “bust potential” is pretty low if you watched him play in college, and for a team that had awful receivers last season he will be a big boost for the franchise quarterback of the future in Derek Carr. Those are the things that McKenzie took into consideration when he made this pick and we will see how it pans out. Cooper could be the next Tim Brown, something that is more likely than him becoming a draft bust. The future is bright for the Raiders, and it looks even brighter after their fourth overall pick.

Next: JBB Staff Reaction: Amari Cooper