The latest 2015 NFL mock draft from ESPN analyst Todd McShay projects the Oakland Raiders to select Alabama receiver Amari Cooper over USC defensive end Leonard Williams. Although Oakland signed free-agent receiver Michael Crabtree, McShay has his reasons for why Cooper will be too good for the team to pass up.
Oakland has a number of needs, including at the receiver and the defensive line positions. McShay released his latest mock draft on Wednesday and in it projected Oakland to use its No. 4 pick to bolster its receiving corps with the best wideout available: Cooper.
"It'd be a tough call here between Cooper and Leonard Williams. Williams would be a 3-technique defensive tackle for the Raiders in their 4-3 defense, and they need one, but they need a wide receiver more," McShay wrote. "Michael Crabtree is on only a one-year deal and isn't a long-term solution, and Cooper projects as a No. 1 receiver. He is as polished a wide receiver as you'll see coming out of college with his separation skills and route-running savvy, and he's a big-play threat as well with good speed and run-after-catch ability. Oakland needs to surround second-year QB Derek Carr with some weapons."
Cooper, a junior, is fresh off a huge season with the Crimson Tide. He led the nation in receptions with 124 catches, and he ranked No. 2 in both receiving yards (1,727) and receiving touchdowns (16).
McShay isn't the only draft expert who expects Oakland to snag Cooper with the fourth pick, either.
"I think it's going to be hard to pass on the sure thing that I suspect Cooper is," ESPN's Mel Kiper wrote April 9. "He's a true No. 1, a supremely gifted route runner who doesn't do it with just smarts, but with 4.4 speed and the ability to set up defenders and then run past them. He's a building-block piece."
If for whatever reason Oakland decides to pass on Cooper, the team's next two likeliest moves are either to trade down or select Williams.
