Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper gave SEC cornerbacks a major compliment.
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The Oakland Raiders have turned their franchise around by being smart in the draft. First came quarterback Derek Carr in 2014, followed by the selection of wide receiver Amari Cooper in 2015.
Cooper finished his rookie season with 1,070 receiving yards and six touchdowns and is looking to improve upon that in his sophomore campaign. Based on how he views NFL cornerbacks, he seems to believe he can do just that.
Cooper, who played college football at Alabama, seems to believe he has been cornerbacks of similar talent since his time in the SEC and doesn’t see a big disparity in talent.
“Overall guys are better, but overall guys are smarter,” Cooper said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And that’s the biggest thing: Guys are smarter. The talent level, to me, probably is about the same coming from the SEC. But they’re smarter, so it makes them better.”
There is no denying the skill of the defensive players in the SEC, but if Cooper were correct in his thinking, every cornerback who played in the SEC should be starting in the NFL. He does point out that NFL cornerbacks are smarter than those in college, but there is a clear distinction in talent.
While he was paying a compliment to those he competed against in the past, NFL cornerbacks are on a different plane than those in any level of college football. Cooper’s mindset may be more of a compliment to his own skill set, as he continues to make cornerbacks look foolish against him in the NFL. His natural ability to get open makes him a tough cover for any player lining up against him.
And as he continues to progress in his career, he may start believing NFL cornerbacks aren’t as great as he thought they would be, but that will only be because of his status as a top receiver in the NFL.
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