Jon Gruden once said Raiders need to draft Amari Cooper

The Oakland Raiders are once again in the spotlight after making the move to trade former Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick.

This has shifted the attention over to head coach Jon Gruden’s viewpoint of the entire situation. With that in mind, Gruden had previously stated during ESPN’s coverage of the 2015 NFL Draft that the Raiders should take Cooper in the first round, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

“They have a young quarterback, Derek Carr, and he can throw the football. I think they have to address the skill positions,” Gruden said while the Raiders were on the clock in 2015. “They need to get Amari Cooper, I think. Put him in this offense with Derek Carr and light people up throwing the ball down the field.”

Gruden clearly thought highly of the talent that Cooper has on the field that even saw him voice during this past offseason that it was the team’s game plan in the passing game to feature him to a great degree. Things didn’t exactly pan out in the fashion that was hoped for in his offense as the 24-year-old struggled to produce at a consistent pace.

He posted 22 receptions for 280 receiving yards and a touchdown in the first six games played this season. Cooper was able to string together two 100 receiving yard performances this season, but he was a complete non-factor in the passing game in the other four games played, recording no more than two catches and 17 receiving yards in any game.

All of this played a contributing factor to the Raiders making a move to trade him to the Cowboys. Only time will tell if this was the right move for the franchise.