The Oakland Raiders lacked the big playmakers in 2014 to truly make their offense something special. The team appears to have made the right choice in drafting Derek Carr as their future quarterback, but issues at the wide receiver and running back position, stunted the rookie's ability to truly excel. The Raiders did not have a productive ground game and they lacked a real No. 1 wide receiver to be the go-to target downfield. That will be a priority change in the upcoming offseason and could start in the NFL Draft.
According to NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr, the Oakland Raiders will likely use their first-round pick to grab Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper. The underclassman officially declared for the NFL on Friday and is considered the best wide receiver in the draft. The Raiders need Cooper. They need that top target that can run all over the field for Carr. Cooper can play every wide receiver position, something he showed at Alabama and would be an asset for the Raiders.
In 2014, the Raiders operated under a wide receiver committee. The team was led by James Jones who proved to be a quality free agent signing with 666 yards while Andre Holmes topped the stats with 693. However, those numbers were simply not good enough as players like Rod Streater and Denarius Moore fell off the map. The Raiders need someone that can put up 1,000 yards a season and Cooper is that guy.
The Raiders could also make a trade for a receiver if they felt another draft move was necessary other than Cooper. Oakland could easily target someone like Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Wallace or Josh Gordon in a trade. However, that move could be difficult to make. The Raiders are rebuilding and need all of the draft picks they can get. They have started using them wisely, so giving them up for one player might not be the best move. They also lack assets to deal instead. Any trade for a top wide receiver will require draft picks and Oakland must decide if it is worth it to give one up.
Oakland will make changes at the run game which will likely including saying goodbye to Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden even though both players have expressed a desire to stick around. Carr is the clear future in Oakland and now his success depends on the players around him.
