While some mocks suggest the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to take a pass rusher with their first pick in the 2015 NFL draft, they’re probably going to make more of an offensive impact with Amari Cooper.
The Jaguars for the second straight season have the third overall pick. Last season they made a surprising move by taking Blake Bortles from UCF as their first round pick and hopefully the guy who finally becomes their franchise quarterback. Bortles started in 14 games last season, completing 58.9% of his passes for 2908 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Too soon to tell if they made the right choice.
And while the “safe” pick is probably Leonard Williams or even Dante Fowler Jr., both pass rushers who seem like top 5 draft talent in this particular class, the Jaguars have an owner who loves making a splash, which is important for a team that’s finding it hard to keep the support up after so many losing seasons. Cooper, the best wide receiver in this class or at least the most NFL-ready, makes more of an impact.
The 20-year old out of Miami who played his college football for Alabama won the Biletnikoff award last season and was a Heisman finalist. He was also an All-American, and made the All-SEC team for the second time in his three seasons playing for the Crimson Tide, winning the conference twice and the BCS championship game once.
Cooper caught 228 passes in his three years with Alabama, resulting in 3463 yards and 31 touchdowns. He led the nation last season with 124 receptions and his 16 touchdowns in 2014 were the best in the SEC.