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Forum nameOkay Sports
Topic subjectAmari Cooper, Alabama (6'1, 210)
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2398536&mesg_id=2398562
2398562, Amari Cooper, Alabama (6'1, 210)
Posted by will_5198, Thu Dec-11-14 11:16 AM
The cleanest prospect in this draft, meaning there's nothing about him that stands out as a negative when moving up to the NFL. Even the best players have an issue with something -- "OK, you can't play him in that alignment, or he needs work on this technique" -- but those moments never really crop up with him.

He should be studying every snap of Reggie Wayne's career, because that's the style he can emulate in the NFL. Neither of them are big vertical burners (bet Cooper measures in at the same 6'0 as Wayne) and both lack the elite burst that smaller guys have, but they still take apart defenses as precise route-runners who line up anywhere, are smoother than dynamic after the catch, and have an answer against every coverage.

Kiffin did a masterful job force-feeding him touches this past season: lots of motion, stacked releases, slot duties and timed deep shots. They could've just left him on the outside (defenses still played off-coverage and dropped a safety out of the box, a tactic I'm sure every coordinator loathed against Alabama's running game), but it was a great showcase for the depth of his skills. There have been bigger and faster prospects to go as high as he will, but only a select few with his intuition at the position. Top ten.

+ Absolute natural at route running and adjusting to passes
+ History of production while playing all three receiver positions, with two different quarterbacks and against the best defenses
+ Not one thing he's less than very good at
- Concentration drops here and there
- While he's excellent on inside routes against press, he becomes a bit more ordinary when trying to release outside and get vertical