The Oakland Raiders are coming into the draft with a top five pick this year and names like Amari Cooper, Marcus Mariota and Kevin White have come up as potential targets and this comes as names like Reggie Wayne, Greg Jennings, Stevan Ridley, Michael Crabtree and Hakeem Nicks are available as free agents and those names could be options for Reggie McKenzie to add for Derek Carr on offense.
The Raiders have a new head coach in Jack Del Rio and owner Mark Davis thinks the team has a chance for major improvements in 2015. The team drafted Carr last year and he showed that he can be a productive quarterback in the NFL and now McKenzie needs to continue adding weapons. The team signed Trent Richardson and Roy Helu this offseason to join James Jones from last year's class and now McKenzie could look at other veteran options on the market.
According to ESPN team reporter Bill Williamson, the Raiders still have some major needs this offseason, including at wide receiver, the offensive line and at cornerback. The team could look at the draft as a way to add a wide receiver, as the team has a top five pick and there are some strong players coming out in 2015. Amari Cooper has come up in many mock drafts as the pick for the Raiders, as he had a huge season at Alabama, while Kevin White and DeVante Parker have also been mentioned.
Early in the offseason Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Raiders would take Cooper if he gets past the Jaguars and he also speculated that White could be a target. In the past the Raiders have prioritized speed at receiver and that could push White over the top. White comes in after putting up a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and that has scouts and teams looking at him as a top prospect. White had a strong season at West Virginia and he comes in after putting up 109 catches for 1447 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Cooper is considered to be one of the best route runners in the nation and he had a strong combined with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and an above average vertical leap. White is slightly bigger than Cooper, but Cooper is coming out of Alabama and has a strong pedigree behind him. Cooper had 124 catches for 1727 yards last season and 16 touchdowns and he could be a strong pick for the Raiders. DeVante Parker has also received some interest from teams, with the Dolphins bringing him in for a visit before the draft. Parker has blazing speed and he could be a top 15 pick.
Jennings is coming off two up and down seasons with the Vikings and he has had interest from the Dolphins and the Jaguars. The Raiders could be an option for Jennings or a player like Crabtree, as they need receivers for Derek Carr. Even if the team takes Cooper, they could look at Jennings or Crabtree on the market, while Hakeem Nicks is also a low cost option. Stevan Ridley also could be a pickup for depth behind Trent Richardson, Roy Helu and Latavius Murray.
