The Oakland Raiders are coming into the draft with a top five pick and if they don't trade it, names like Amari Cooper, Kevin White and Leonard Williams could be potential targets and this comes as the team could be interested in signing Michael Crabtree, Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks or Reggie Wayne as free agents for Derek Carr on offense.
The Raiders have over $20 million in cap space left and they have the chance to add some more depth in a number of areas this offseason. The draft is coming up in a few weeks and the team also may look at adding free agents, as Bill Williamson at ESPN.com writes that the Raiders have met with Michael Crabtree. The team reportedly had interest in Jennings and Nicks earlier in the offseason and now they have hosted Crabtree for a visit.
The team likely will add a veteran this offseason at receiver, but that will not stop them from also targeting a wideout in the draft. According to Williamson, the Raiders want to give Derek Carr the chance to succeed and they feel adding more weapons in the passing game is the way to do that. The team already signed Roy Helu and Trent Richardson for depth at running back and now Carr could get some receivers to work with.
Crabtree met with the Dolphins earlier in the offseason and the two sides did not agree on a deal. According to the Miami Herald, Crabtree is looking for over $4 million per season, but the Dolphins were not willing to go higher than around $3 million and the receiver rejected that offer. The Dolphins have also met with Greg Jennings this offseason and could be interested in receivers in the draft.
Cooper and White are considered to be the top wide receivers in the draft this year and the Raiders likely will take one of those players if they stay at number four. According to CBS Sports, the team may consider trading out of the pick, as the Miami Dolphins are interested in moving into the top five. The Dolphins also may target DeVante Parker if the team sits tight at their pick.
If the Dolphins move up, it likely would be for either Cooper or White. Cooper had 124 catches last season and 16 touchdowns for Alabama and he is a polished route runner. White has good speed and made over 100 catches with 10 touchdowns for West Virginia last season. White and Cooper are likely the first receivers off the board and they are the top players in a deep class that also includes Parker, Jaelen Strong and Breshad Perriman.
The Raiders offense was inconsistent last season and they were one of the worst rushing teams in the league. James Jones returns after a solid year and adding some depth with him at receiver could be big for Carr, who also has a solid tight end in Mychal Rivera. Carr will get the chance to start the season in year two after being impressive as a rookie, but the Raiders want him to keep developing in the right direction.