The AFC West was injected with a lot of new life this offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs signed wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, coming off the best season of his career, in free agency. The move reunited Maclin with the head coach that drafted him in Andy Reid. The San Diego Chargers invested a first-round pick into highly productive running back Melvin Gordon. He's expected to lead San Diego in rushing this season. The Denver Broncos drafted Shane Ray, once thought to be a sure-fire top ten pick, in the back end of round one.
But perhaps no newcomer to the division is better than Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper.
"He was the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, and I believe he will be a top candidate for the NFL offensive rookie of the year," ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson wrote. "Cooper comes to Oakland as one of the most polished college receivers in recent memory. This is a player who has the entire route-running tree in his arsenal, and he was ultra productive at Alabama against strong SEC defenses. Cooper had an SEC-record 124 catches last season. Second-year Oakland quarterback Derek Carr can fling the ball and now has a true No. 1 weapon. I expect Cooper to be a focal part of Oakland's new up-tempo offense. Oakland hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver since Randy Moss in 2005. That drought may end soon."
Cooper has drawn favorable comparisons with 2014 first-round WR Sammy Watkins and is expected to have a similar impact on the offense. More importantly, Cooper is expected to be a true blue go-to target for franchise QB-in-the-making Carr. Helping Carr in his development is more valuable than any impressive stats Cooper may produce this year.
The Raiders have been impressed with Cooper's poise and route-running ability this offseason. Although there have been several impressive additions to the AFC West, this rookie wide receiver may be the best out of them all.
