NFL Spin Zone recently ranked the best wide receivers in the NFL, and Raiders wideout Amari Cooper’s name was listed in the top half.
The 2018 NFL season is three months away, and teams have already finished up their mandatory three-day minicamps. As we look towards training camp next month, there are plenty of questions marks with the Raiders roster, but at the top of the depth chart at wide receiver, one name is cemented at the top.
Amari Cooper has been the team’s best wide receiver since coming into the NFL in 2015, and despite a rough 2017 season, the future is bright for him in 2018. Cooper and the rest of the offense has a new offensive coordinator at the helm, and head coach Jon Gruden has already said that he is going to be a “main vein” in the offense.
When NFL Spin Zone ranked the top-32 wide receivers in the NFL recently, Cooper came in at No. 15 overall. Had he had another solid season in 2017, he likely would have been a top-10 pick, but the fact that he did not produce and is still ranked in the top half is a testament to how good of a player he is.
The Raiders brought in a bunch of wideout to help Cooper this year, as they said goodbye to Michael Crabtree early in the offseason. Cooper will be joined by Martavis Bryant (hopefully), and Jordy Nelson at the top of the depth chart, giving quarterback Derek Carr a bunch of solid targets to choose from in 2018.
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The status of Bryant is still up in the air, but if he is not suspended, then he will play a big role in taking the pressure off of Cooper. This is a huge year for Cooper, who has bulked up considerably, and is trying to erase the memory of a very unproductive 2017 campaign.