Las Vegas Raiders

Cooper is a big part of Raiders' plan for better numbers

Published May. 19, 2015 1:40 p.m. ET

foxsports

Amari Cooper has already changed his number from 19 to 89.

Raiders fans are hoping he'll change the teams receiving numbers, too.

In 2014, the Raiders gained the fewest yards in the league with 4,515 and finished next-to-last in scoring with an average of 15.8 points per game. That output directly correlates to the team's receiving struggles. Lat year's leading receiver, Andre Holmes, had 693 receiving yards throughout the season.

Cooper more than doubled that in the college ranks last fall. Head coach Jack Del Rio doesn't expect his top pick to be a fix-all option, though. The team also signed Michael Crabtree and drafted Miami's Clive Walford -- two more receiving options that'll let Cooper do what he does best.

"We're excited about what we're putting together around him," Del Rio said. "We don't want him to have to just carry us."

Now, thanks to the wealth of options Oakland imported this offseason, Cooper might not have to do the heavy lifting. He can just be an exciting first receiver on a team that sorely needs one.

(h/t AL.com)