Alabama WR Amari Cooper NFL Draft Scouting Report
When you think about the best wide receivers in the 2015 NFL Draft, Alabama’s Amari Cooper has got to be at the forefront. The former Alabama Crimson Tide superstar absolutely lit it up this past season, and after running a 4.42 second 40-yard dash (unofficially) at this year’s scouting combine, the 6-1, 210 pound receiver looks like the kind of player that is going to be an absolute stud in the NFL for a long time to come.
When you watch Cooper play, you see a guy who can do a little bit of everything. He is such a fluid athlete, a smooth athlete with phenomenal hands, body control, awareness, and overall playmaking ability.
Cooper’s size is indicative of his play — nothing flashy, not the fastest player ever, but everything is just solid. You don’t see a lot of flaws in his game when you watch him play, and that’s exactly what we want to do.
Cooper has phenomenal feet, great hips, and really good route-running ability. He finishes plays with his hands and doesn’t allow the ball to get into his body. He doesn’t seem very phased by press coverage. He’s not physically overpowering, but he does a great job of using his body.
This is a very effective player both inside as a slot and outside, and can find holes in a zone defense with ease. You can see he does a great job of changing speeds depending on what position he’s playing in the offense and the depth of the route. He has a second gear and consistently is getting separation from defensive backs.
Cooper needs to improve his effort as a blocker, but that’s not really the focus of his game. This is a versatile receiver prospect who isn’t a Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones as a physical marvel, but he really does everything that you look for in a player at this position that can track the ball, find weaknesses of defenders, and exploit them.
Teams are going to be elated about Cooper’s ability to play both outside and slot, where he can be an athletic mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses.
This is a guy who might not look it in terms of guys we’ve been spoiled with with physical measurables, but his athleticism and football smarts more than make up for it. I think he is a number one receiver and will be a significant contributor as a rookie. Some team like the Raiders could use him as their top offensive target, but whatever team gets him is going to get what I believe to be the best receiver in this year’s draft and a player who can make an impact immediately.