The Oakland Raiders went for Amari Cooper in the first round of the draft on Thursday and now with Round 2 on Friday, names like Randy Gregory, Jaelen Strong, Duke Johnson, Landon Collins, TJ Yeldon and Ameer Abdullah could be targets for Reggie McKenzie as the team selects in the second and third rounds.
Collins is considered to be the best safety in the draft, while Gregory has slipped due to some off the field issues. Many scouts see Gregory as a first round talent and that could make him an early targets for teams on the second day of the draft. According to Bill Williamson at ESPN, the Raiders have needs at the offensive line, defensive line, linebacker and they also may target running back, even after the team signed Trent Richardson and Roy Helu.
Derek Carr had a strong rookie season and McKenzie wanted to add more weapons on offense after signing Michael Crabtree this offseason. Cooper is a great draft pick, as he played very well at Alabama and is considered pro ready after playing for Nick Saban. Cooper had a monster season last year, making 124 catches for 1727 yards and 17 touchdowns and now he will be the top target for the Raiders on offense.
The Oakland Raiders had the number four pick in the draft this year and Cooper was considered to be the best target for the team by draft experts. Cooper fits into what the Raiders want to do and they needed more weapons for Carr on offense. The team has some strong young players with Latavius Murray and Mychal Rivera and adding someone with the talent of Cooper could be huge for Carr's development.
The Raiders finished last in the AFC West and they are looking to make any type of improvement that they can in 2015 and adding Cooper will help that. Cooper can be a number one player and he also can be strong in the slot. Cooper has good hands and is also a strong route runner.
The Raiders have already signed Trent Richardson and Roy Helu this offseason, but according to ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson, the team could be an option to trade for Adrian Peterson. The Raiders have the cap space to make a move with Peterson and Williamson writes that he "keeps hearing" that Oakland could be an option for Peterson. While a deal from the Vikings is unlikely, the Raiders could take on Peterson's $15 million cap hit and still have room to spend.
The Raiders have been an active team this offseason in free agency and they recently brought in Crabtree on a deal. The team likely will not give up draft picks for Peterson and that means a deal is not likely to happen. Peterson wants some more money, according to Pro Football Talk and he wants the Vikings to step up and show him a "commitment".
