Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first round picks since 2010

Ranking the Las Vegas Raiders first-round picks since 2010

4. Amari Cooper: 2015 – 4th overall, Alabama

The debate around what the Raiders would do with the 4th overall pick in 2015 centered around a potentially dominant defensive tackle in Leonard Williams or a transcendent receiver in Amari Cooper. The Raiders eventually chose to provide second-year QB Derek Carr with a weapon in the Alabama receiver and the pick proved wise straight away.

The AC-DC connection as it was known among Raider Nation, was quickly established as Cooper burst onto the scene with 72 catches for 1,070 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was the first Raiders receiver to reach 1,000 yards since Randy Moss in 2005 and the first rookie to ever do so in the team’s history.

Raiders fans thought they had the next Tim Brown on their hands as Cooper followed up his rookie season with an even better second year where he finished with 83 catches for 1,153 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had some issues with drops and sideline catches but he was an explosive weapon on an even more explosive offense.

In 2017, the Raiders offense as a whole regressed and so did Cooper but the thought was he would be tied to Derek Carr for the rest of their careers and they would be the most prolific QB-WR combo in team history. That was cut short as Jon Gruden traded away Cooper in 2018 to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick just a few months after trading away Khalil Mack.

Cooper has gone on to make the Pro Bowl twice with the Cowboys and has been one of the more productive receivers in the league. Concerns around drops and his lack of competitive fire have persisted but the immense talent he showed in Oakland is still routinely on display.