Oakland Raiders WR Amari Cooper is primed for a breakout season

In 2016, Amari Cooper became the third player in NFL history with at least 70 catches and 1,000 yards in their first two seasons. That’s great production, but Coop has yet to put together a full season of consistent performance, and that’s a scary thought for NFL defenses. As Cooper enters his third year with the Oakland Raiders, the staff, the fans, and especially himself all expect a breakout season.

It’s almost comical to think that I am writing about a wide receiver who has accumulated 155 receptions for 2,223 yards with 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons as one who is due for a breakout year. To a casual fan this may seem absurd, but the die hard fan knows very well Cooper is just scratching the surface of his full potential.

Cooper came into the league as a highly touted prospect praised for his polished route running, size and speed, and run after the catch ability. In his rookie season, he demonstrated all of those qualities and more. Cooper finished his first year with 72 receptions for 1,070 yards and 6 touchdowns, good enough to earn him a trip to his first Pro Bowl. However, it wasn’t all good for Cooper as he struggled with 10 drops (7.7 drop percentage) and injuries down the stretch of the season.

Building on the success of his rookie campaign, in year two Cooper saw an increase in receptions (83) and yardage (1,153) but again his production dipped drastically throughout the second half of the season. Despite the poor second half, Cooper was recently selected to the NFL’s list of top 100 players coming in ranked 53rd overall.

Now as OTA’s are underway for the 2017 season, Cooper is well aware of the early success he has had but believes he is ready to take his game to the next level. After Tuesday’s workout the media was allowed to interview players and here is what Cooper had to say.

"When asked about the drop in production late in his first two seasons.“Yes, of course it’s been on my mind but it’s a good thing to me because I feel like I can go nowhere but up, I feel like I can have a lot more production than I’ve had in the past two seasons”What aspects of your game have you focused on this off season?“Just the little details, it’s easy to forget the small things like high pointing the ball and looking the ball all the way through and not trying to run before you catch the ball. Just overall working hard.”You have been successful in your first two seasons, do you view this season as the launching point to ascend further?“Yea, we are in the present now so I want to be the best Amari Cooper I can possibly be, I want to be better than every other year I’ve played football.”"

With new additions Jared Cook, Marshawn Lynch, and Cordarrelle Patterson the offense is loaded with talent but Amari Cooper is by far the most explosive and gifted player on that side of the ball. Cooper is a game changer and is a threat opposing defensive coordinators must game plan for. The Raiders offense will need him to put together a full season of production if they are to challenge the New England Patriots for supremacy of the AFC.

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Still at just 22 years old, he’s a prime candidate for a breakout season.

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