Although the Alabama Crimson Tide are a run-first football team, wide receiver Amari Cooper has had quite the success for them over the past few seasons. Time after time again, Cooper made plays when the Tide needed it most. Whether it was A.J. McCarron or Blake Sims under center, Cooper’s ability to catch the ball downfield or on the outside is second to none. Alabama is in the College Football Playoffs and Cooper will have the chance to show his ability against some of the best college teams in the nation.
With the 2015 NFL Draft around the corner, there isn’t a better receiver on the board than Cooper. Sure Kevin White out of West Virginia and DeVante Parker out of Louisville are dynamic weapons, but neither has the consistency or the physical tools Cooper has. It usually takes rookie wide receivers a year to get adjusted to an NFL playbook. However, Cooper is a guy that can change games right away for an NFL team at the next level. Cooper is a guaranteed top-five pick in my opinion. The NFL team that gets this guy will have their franchise receiver for the foreseeable future. Cooper has drawn comparisons to A.J. Green and Julio Jones, and it’s not hard to see why. All three are big receivers who win the football at the point of attack.
The 2014 receivers class has been the best class of all-time. Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, and Kelvin Benjamin are just three receivers that have been spectacular in their first year at the next level. Despite that, Cooper is a guy that could have an even better rookie year than all of those players. Cooper is a terrific route-runner. He’s great at separating and he can catch passes and make plays at all of the levels of the defense. It’s only a matter of time until Cooper beats NFL cornerbacks up and down the football field.
*Section Photo credit to Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Orlando Sentinel
