Alabama Football: How Amari Cooper Can Take His Game to the Next Level in 2013

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:05:58 GMT

Source: bleacherreport.com --- Monday, June 17, 2013
You could make an argument that Alabama's Amari Cooper is the best receiver in the SEC. Last season he led the Tide with 59 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman. Only Chad Bumphis of Mississippi State had more receiving touchdowns (12) in the SEC. That type of production could convince you that he doesn't have anything to work on. He knows it all. Of course, that is the furthest thing from the truth. He was a first-year player who finished five games with fewer than three receptions. There is plenty of room for him to grow and become, arguably, the top receiver in the country. Literally growing would help Cooper take his game to the next level. ESPN lists him at 6'1", 198 pounds. He is tall, but also lengthy and very lean. He doesn't have elite size and that prevented his production at times last season. You can see in the video that a lot of Cooper's production came from running go routes. He would use his speed to his advantage by giving the defender a double move and blowing by him. Cornerbacks had to respect his speed and bite on the fake, but that won't be the case after they see this film. The route running became predictable, and the deep balls can be limited by shifting the coverage and leaving a safety up high. Although Cooper has proven he can catch the ball in double coverage and win jump balls, he will have to add on weight to become more versatile. Cooper didn't catch many passes running ...