Great Blue North Draft Report - News and Analysis on the NFL draft

Amari Cooper, Alabama; 6-0, 210, 4.55, JR … Dynamic third-year receiver with top 10-15 potential who is on pace to catch close to 100 passes this fall and is near the top of every major NCAA receiving stat despite the fact he faces constant scheming from opposing defenses; indeed, already has more than 50 more receptions than the next leading Alabama receiver; bounced back from a sub-par year in 2013 when he was hampered by a toe injury after he had broken all of Julio Jones’ Alabama freshman receiving records the previous year; lacks elite measurables, but is a silky smooth receiver with explosive quickness, along with excellent agility and balance; has that second gear to accelerate past press coverage as well as enough long speed to get over the top; indeed, leads all collegiate receivers this year with big-play receptions over 20 yards; tracks the ball well, can elevate and has the body control and hand-eye coordination to make toughest catches in traffic look routine; he’s also a precise route runner with a real burst out of his cuts and is especially dangerous after the catch as he has the quickness to make the first guy miss, reads downfield blocks well and is a physical runner in space; also a willing blocker for his teammates; in fact, reportedly has an outstanding work ethic and has a clean off-field record; all that has him flirting with a top 10 grade for the upcoming draft; however, also has the type of skill-set that NFL personnel people often pick apart in pre-draft testing; at just a tad over 6-0, Cooper isn’t all that tall and there are concerns that he’ll be able to win the contested balls in the air at the next level that he wins at the college level; same for getting off the line of scrimmage against physical press coverage as he lacks the elite track speed usually associated with top 10 picks; and while he catches a ton of passes, will drop more than his share of catchable and will gator arm the occasional ball over the middle.