Mel Kiper Jr. unveiled his Mock 3.0 on Thursday and it's fairly different from his last one. In his previous projections he had the Oakland Raiders selecting wide receiver Amari Cooper out of Alabama, but this time around he has them taking a different wideout.
This time around it's West Virginia Mountaineer Kevin White. The senior caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games last season, including seven receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown against Texas A&M in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. He continued his success at the NFL Combine in late February.
"The buzz has been building around White's prospects as a potential top-five pick since the end of the college season, with scouts raving about his exceptional size-speed combination," writes Bucky Brooks of NFL.com. "...White looks like a dominant WR1 in every aspect. If he can continue to tighten up his footwork and route-running skills, White could surpass Amari Cooper as the No. 1 receiver in the 2015 class."
We know the Raiders like speed, and White ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine on top of impressing in pass catching and other positional drills. With James Jones and Andre Holmes as the top two receiving options on the team's depth chart, it's clear the receiver position is among their top priorities this offseason. It just all depends on what they decide to do in free agency.
On Wednesday it was reported that Oakland is "considering offering Cobb a blockbuster deal," which would probably change their draft strategy since they have other glaring needs following a 3-13 campaign. The 2015 free agent class is stacked with expensive receiving talent, so it's possible the Raiders take their pick on the market.
However, it might be a better idea to draft the receiving talent and allocate the remaining funds to a few other positions, rather than sinking a huge amount of money into one player such as Cobb. After all, the top receiving options available probably don't have Oakland, who has a new quarterback and coaching staff, as their top destination.
"White has closed the gap on Amari Cooper on my Big Board," Kiper writes. "I still have Cooper ahead of him because he's the more well-rounded and accomplished receiver, but White's star potential is now clear and I can see him beating Cooper out at this slot. White is a threat all over the field, will make the contested catch, and has home run speed with the ball in his hands."
Free agency begins on Mar. 10, so we'll soon see what direction the Raiders choose to steer their rickety ship in.
