The Oakland Raiders added a new top receiver in the NFL draft with Amari Cooper this year and he is expected to be the main starter for Derek Carr and this comes as Trent Richardson is battling with Latavius Murray to start and the team is also excited about the depth at tight end with Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera.
The Raiders come into the 2015 season with Derek Carr coming in for year two and the team expects him to continue developing in the right direction. The team has high hopes for Amari Cooper after taking him fourth overall in the draft and he comes in after having a monster season at Alabama. The Raiders have added Cooper along with Michael Crabtree this offseason and Carr now has some solid depth at wide receiver.
The team signed Crabtree as a free agent and they also have Cooper along with Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Andre Debose, Brice Butler, Kenbrell Thompkins, Seth Roberts, Austin Hill and Josh Harper. Chances are a couple of those players will be cut moving forward, but either way, Cooper is expected to be the top receiver in the offense. The Raiders have not had a game breaking receiver in what feels like years and now Cooper is stepping in to take over.
Cooper is coming out of Alabama after making 124 catches last season for 1727 yards and 16 touchdowns and Carr should find him early and often this season. Cooper was one of the most polished receivers in college football coming into the draft and the Raiders are excited about what he can bring to the offense. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Cooper said that the Raiders playbook is a lot like Alabama's and that should help him adjust to the NFL quickly.
Cooper excelled in rookie minicamp and now he is heading into offseason workouts as the top option for Carr. Last season the team put support behind Carr and he is looking to get better in year two. Carr started all 16 games last season and threw for 3270 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Carr completed just 58 percent of his passes and that is one area where the team is hoping he can improve this season.
Trent Richardson comes in battling with Latavius Murray this year and NFL.com reports that they think Murray will win out the job. Richardson signed in free agency after two tough years in Indianapolis. Clive Walford is going to get a long look, as reports have him impressing in rookie minicamp. Walford has good size and NFL.com writes that he is a better blocker than Mychal Rivera, who is coming in as the starter for now.
The defense has some issues at safety, but the team did add Nate Allen and they are hoping he can hold things down. The team tried to add DJ Swearinger with a waiver claim, but the Buccaneers got the priority and now he is in Tampa. The Raiders could look at adding more in free agency, but right now they appear to be sticking with the veteran duo of Charles Woodson and Nate Allen.