Kevin White or Amari Cooper an Oakland Raiders Fan Perspective
Oakland Raiders draft clheck
The Oakland Raiders will be in need of a wide receiver, and with the 2015 NFL Draft right around the corner, that might be the time they pull the trigger. The notable names include Amari Cooper from Alabama or Kevin White from West Virginia.
In Amari Cooper (6’1”, 211) the Raiders will have a solid receiver that can do everything well. In everything, I am referencing route running, getting down field, being able to make the most out of the short and intermediate routes. He is one of those athletes that are very fluid and athletic in doing what he does, which is catch passes. He was compared to Marvin Harrison, by former NFL GM Phil Savage, because of his reserved demeanor and similar skill-set. The down-side to Cooper has always been his size and completing his routes. He also has been seen dropping a few easy ones as well. The routes and concentration can be fixed, his size is the real issue. He will have difficulty against press coverage and blocking down field for the ball carrier, because of his lack of size and strength.
With Kevin White (6’3”, 215), Oakland would position themselves with a receiver that competes hard for the ball, and will make the catch at the high point of the ball. This makes him tremendously dangerous in the red zone. Some scouts were concerned about his speed, but he crushed all that when he ran his 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. His speed was clocked at 4.35, and with this made his stock jump. He gains separation from defensive backs on crossers, and when it comes to hitch routes, he can stop on a dime. It looks like his difficulty will being able to get separate from the coverage while running routes. This also includes trying to gain distance from the press coverage that defensive backs like to deliver. Another issue that scouts have noticed is that he pigeon toes, and will run foot-to-heal, instead of heal-to-foot.
When compared head-to-head, it seems as though Kevin White has more explosion coming from his lower base, which also allows him to jump farther and higher because of it. White dominated Cooper in both the broad jump (123-120 inches) and vertical (36.5-33 feet). When it came down to running the 40-yard dash, he again showed his strength in his legs as he outdistanced himself from Amari Cooper (4.35-4.42). If an owner is looking for someone that has great change-of-direction, explosion, and lateral quickness, then Cooper is their guy. He outperformed White in the 20-yard shuttle (3.98-4.14), and took him again in the 3-cone drill (6.71-6.92).
So who do the Raiders go with. Looking at history you would safely assume Kevin White, the Raiders love their speedsters and athletic freaks, but something about Amari Cooper screams Oakland Raiders. Looking at the negatives, it seems as though White has more obstacles to overcome. Can he beat press coverage or gain separation, is he able to avoid the pigeon toe, running that he may do? I still think he can learn to compensate for his heal-to-toe running. Where Cooper has a lack of size, so seeing him around the red zone may not happen as much as one may hope. The Raiders do have a red zone talent in James Jones, but he does not have anywhere near the skills of Kevin White. My belief is that the Raiders draft White, and begin the road of their three-amigo attack. Derek Carr-Latavius Murray-Kevin White
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/kevin-white?id=2552422
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/amari-cooper?id=2552487
http://www.nfl.com/combine/workouts
