2. Amari Cooper
Consistency has been an issue for Cooper over his first three NFL seasons, and injuries were added to that last year to bring clear career-lows in catches (48), and yards (680). Now healthy, he is saying the right things about embracing a role a featured role in the Raiders’ passing game.
"It was cool,” Cooper told reporters Tuesday. “Obviously, as a receiver, you want to go out there and make plays for your team to win. So for him to say that, it really meant a lot to me. I’m just ready to come out and work and prove that I deserve to have those opportunities."
Gruden has said he wants to make Cooper the “main vein” of Oakland’s passing game, while comparing the fourth overall pick in 2015 to a young Tim Brown. He had at least 130 targets in each of his first two seasons, with a career-high 132 targets in 2016, and even in a clearly diminished state last year Cooper finished second on the team in targets (6.9 per game).
Cooper needs to combined the catch production from his first two seasons (155) with a boost from his career-high seven touchdowns last year. That would make him a legit No. 1 wide receiver, and likely vault him into the conversation among the best in the league at the position.