Las Vegas Raiders: 15 best first-round picks all-time
By John Buhler
. Wide Receiver. Alabama Crimson Tide, 2015. Amari Cooper. 13. player. 28
Best first-round draft picks in Raiders history: 13. Amari Cooper
Figuring out where to put third-year wide receiver Amari Cooper in this all-time list was difficult. He has two Pro Bowls to his NFL resume as the former No. 4 overall pick out of Alabama in the 2015 NFL Draft. Cooper had been tabbed as the best wide receiver to come out of Alabama since Julio Jones. Those are lofty expectations, but he’s certainly living up to them.
Cooper has 155 career receptions for 2,223 yards and 11 touchdowns. While there’s no way to say that he’ll end up being Fred Biletnikoff or Tim Brown, but Raider Nation has to like what they’ve seen out of Cooper thus far in his young NFL career.
Right off the bat, he established himself as quarterback Derek Carr’s favorite target in the Raiders passing game as a rookie. The AC/DC connection is very strong all ready, as the duo helped get the team back into the AFC Playoffs in 2016. They will make each other better as their young NFL careers unfold.
At this cross-section of Cooper’s NFL career, he is seen as top-10 receiver in the game. He’s not on the level of Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown or Jones, nor as established as Dez Bryant or A.J. Green, but Cooper would be the No. 1 wide receiver on at least four-fifths of the teams he plays on. The future is very bright for this former Alabama Crimson Tide standout.