Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide fans celebrate their win with a banner promoting wide receiver Amari Cooper for the heisman trophy after Alabama
The 2015 NFL Draft order for the first 20 picks is officially set, which means that the mock draft experts are quickly putting out their first rankings of the offseason and Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller was no exception as on Monday the B/R columnist put out his first 2015 Offseason Mock Draft with a new list of prospects for fans to dream of as the draft nears.
As expected Miller has Marcus Mariota going first overall to Tampa Bay, but with the second and third picks he has defensive linemen Randy Gregory plus Leonard Williams going before the Raiders selection at fourth overall. With the fourth pick Miller has a wide receiver in mind as he has Alabama star Amari Cooper mocked to the Raiders for now.
From Miller:
"The Pick: WR Amari Cooper, AlabamaStop any talk that the Oakland Raiders will draft a quarterback in the first round—they have their man in Derek Carr. The goal of the 2015 draft will be building a team around Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack. In Round 1 that starts by finding Carr a legit weapon at wide receiver.Amari Cooper’s Alabama career ends with an amazing year, one in which his draft stock soared thanks to a fully healthy season and an offensive system designed to accentuate his talents. Cooper is a balanced threat—capable of attacking the ball in the air or making plays on the ground after the catch. He may not grade out higher than Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans did pre-draft, but he’s on par with where Odell Beckham Jr. graded out at."
With the fourth pick the Raiders should be able to get any of the expected top prospects in the draft of their choosing just like last year when they nabbed Khalil Mack with the fifth overall selection before he had his outstanding rookie year as one of the best outside linebackers in all of the NFL. With Williams, Cooper, or Gregory all but guaranteed to see one of the them fall into the Raiders hands at pick four with Marcus Mariota projected as the number one selection, the Raiders are in a good position to load up on either offense or defense come the draft.Cooper, a dominant wideout, could be the selection as the next step in quarterback Derek Carr’s development is to surround him with offensive weapons, a bill that Cooper more than fits as a receiver who has been nearly impossible to cover while in college.
You can see Miller’s latest full 2015 Mock Draft by clicking here