The Oakland Raiders believe Derek Carr has the tools to eventually become a franchise quarterback. They like to point to his solid rookie season - 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions - despite a serious lack of talent around him as evidence of this. But it's not as Carr is completely question free. His 5.46 yards per pass attempt was the lowest mark for a starting QB in recent memory and he was reluctant to push the ball downfield at times.
To help guide him to the next stage of his development, the Raiders are trying to provide Carr with some more offensive weapons this year. The most notable is first-round pick Amari Cooper who was taken with the fourth overall selection in this past draft. Carr was a dynamo at Alabama last season, hauling in an SEC-record 124 catches.
Oakland also signed Michael Crabtree in free agency, though the 27-year-old WR is coming off a down year in San Francisco. Crabtree has been dealing with leg injuries for some time now and there are concerns that he may have lost his explosiveness.
So what is the overall outlook for Oakland's wide receiver corps in 2015?
"I think Cooper will be an instant No. 1 receiver and he will be Oakland's best receiving option in years," ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson wrote. "The last time Oakland had a 1,000-yard receiver was Randy moss in 2005. That streak can end soon. I also think Crabtree has enough left in the tank to be a solid No. 2 option and catch 60-75 passes. The best part of the Cooper and Crabtree additions are that Rod Streater and Andre Holmes will go from starters to solid rotational players. Streater can make a big impact as a No. 3 receiver. Oakland hasn't had this type of depth at receiver since their playoff days more than a decade ago."
Adding to that group is third-round tight end Clive Walford, who was a solid pass-catching option at Miami last year.
The main hope is that Cooper can emerge as a legit No. 1 receiver and have a similar rookie impact as Sammy Watkins did last year. After that, the Raiders would love to see Crabtree produce enough to merit a new deal after this one-year contract runs its course while Walford plays well enough to take Mychal Rivera's starting job. If all goes according to plan, Carr could take a big leap forward in his second season.
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