The Oakland Raiders are coming into the NFL draft with a top five pick and names like Amari Cooper, Marcus Mariota and Kevin White could be targets and this comes as the team may also look at an Adrian Peterson trade as well as Michael Crabtree, Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks and Reggie Wayne as free agent options for quarterback Derek Carr.
The Raiders have a new head coach in Jack Del Rio and they have been an active team in free agency and now Reggie McKenzie may continue that leading into the draft. Bill Williamson at ESPN.com writes that the team still has depth issues at wide receiver and that likely will be an area of focus moving forward. Williamson lists Amari Cooper and Kevin White as the primary draft targets for the Raiders, while Crabtree and Jennings are potential free agent pickups.
The Raiders have added a number of players in free agency, including Roy Helu, Trent Richardson and Rodney Hudson on the offensive side. The team has also signed Nate Allen, Dan Williams, Curtis Lofton and Malcolm Smith, which should help the defense improve in 2015. Del Rio comes over after running the defense in Denver, but he also wants to put an emphasis on being more consistent on offense. Carr looks like he is a capable starter in the NFL and that means the Raiders need to give him more weapons.
Carr had a solid season in 2014 with 3270 passing yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and now the Raiders are hoping he continues to develop in the right direction. James Jones was added in free agency last year and the team has some young talent on offense with Latavius Murray and Mychal Rivera. The team may add a top talent like Cooper and they also could look at Crabtree or Jennings as a veteran option for depth.
The free agents left on the market likely will not cost much and they could be low risk, high reward options for the Raiders. The team still has a decent amount of cap space and while they have to save some of that for the draft, it also could be used on free agents. Crabtree has not had much of a market so far and he has visited with the Miami Dolphins, while the Raiders and 49ers have shown some interest.
Crabtree was healthy and played in 16 games last season after dealing with an ACL injury the year before, making 68 catches for nearly 700 yards. Jennings was released by the Vikings after two seasons and he has had a visit with the Carolina Panthers and has also had interest from the Dolphins. Nicks and Wayne could be potential depth options if the team wants to add a player after the draft.
The Raiders have the chance to add a top receiver in the draft, as Amari Cooper and Kevin White are considered to be the top players coming out. Cooper could be gone by the number three pick, but if he gets to four he could be the selection for Oakland. Cooper comes in after having a very strong season, making 124 catches for 1727 yards and 16 touchdowns at Alabama. White also had a strong season, going for 109 receptions for 1447 yards and 10 touchdowns and he is one of the fastest players in this class.