MAY 11: Cooper’s deal with the Raiders is for four years. It includes $22.7MM in guaranteed money and a $14.8MM signing bonus, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link)
MAY 7: The Raiders announced that they have signed first-round pick Amari Cooper, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Oakland selected Cooper, believed by many to be the best wide receiver in this year’s class, with the No. 4 overall pick.
As Daniel Brown of the Mercury News notes, both GM Reggie McKenzie and coach Jack Del Rio described the Alabama star as “polished” numerous times on draft day. Cooper doesn’t just come with high upside, he comes with the ability to make a major impact right out of the gate in Oakland. His skills have impressed the best of the best, including Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.
“If you know nothing about football, you might not see that he’s mature beyond his years,” Biletnikoff, 72, told Brown. “But he’s a step ahead when it comes to the things required to be a receiver. The way he runs his routes, catches balls, gets open. He can do it against man-to-man coverage or press or zone. This guy is not one-dimensional. “He can line up inside, outside, right or left and do a good job wherever he is. Jack and Reggie and the staff were dead on when they talked about him.”
In 2014, Cooper hauled in 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 TDs across 14 games.