The Oakland Raiders are coming into the draft after taking Amari Cooper and Clive Walford as offensive weapons for Derek Carr and now Cooper could join Trent Richardson in the starting lineup, while Walford gives the team strong depth at tight end with Mychal Rivera, while second round pick Mario Edwards Jr. should form a great defensive duo with Khalil Mack up front.
The Raiders were predicted by many before the draft to be a perfect target for Cooper and they selected him out of Alabama with the fourth overall pick. Cooper has the chance to be a game changing receiver and the team has such confidence in him that they released James Jones from the roster. Cooper comes in after having a monster season with Alabama, making 124 catches for 1727 yards and 16 touchdowns and he should start right away for Carr.
The team signed Trent Richardson this offseason and he could be the starter after Darren McFadden left in free agency. Latavius Murray showed some flashes last season and he could get a look, while Roy Helu is also on the team after signing as a free agent. The team has confidence in Richardson and that is why they didn't draft an RB.
With Jones out, Cooper becomes the top receiver on the depth chart talent-wise, joining Michael Crabtree, Rod Streater, Brice Butler, Kenbrell Thompkins and Andre Holmes on the roster. The team also has Seth Roberts, Andre Debose and the undrafted Josh Harper on the roster and that gives them solid depth moving into the season. The team is hoping that Crabtree can play like he did a few years ago in san Francisco and the team also has great hopes for Butler, who was picked in the draft a couple years ago.
Holmes emerged as a solid option for the Raiders last season and with Jones gone he could end up as the second or third receiver for Carr along with Crabtree. The Raiders also have a solid crop of players at tight end with Walford coming in, as they already have Mychal Rivera and Nick Kasa on the roster. Rivera has the potential to be a game breaker, as he has solid size and speed for his position. Rivera likely will open as the starter, according to Bill Williamson at ESPN.
Rivera had a very solid season last year with 58 catches for 534 yards and four touchdowns and his numbers improved in both yards and catches from his rookie season. The team hoped that Rivera and Kasa could be a tag team at the position and now Walford could step up into that. Walford was considered to be one of the top tight ends in the draft along with Maxx Williams, who went to the Ravens.
Walford has experience after starting four years with Miami and he ended up with 14 touchdowns on 121 catches and he also has great hands. ESPN stats tweeted out that Walford only dropped two passes in 58 chances as senior last year and now he could be a solid option to play alongside Rivera for Carr. The team took Edwards in the second round and he could be a good option with Mack as the Raiders try and get a more consistent pass rush. Jack Del Rio is a defensive coach and he has raved about Edwards.
