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Q: Have you had the chance to speak with Derek Carr yet?**
Cooper:"Yes. He called me after I got drafted last night."
Q: What kind of things did you guys discuss?
Cooper:"He was just saying that we have to put in a lot of work and he's ready to go to work. I agree with him."
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](http://www.raiderimage.com/category-draft.html)Q: Have you had any discussions yet about what they are going to use you for? What do you think you bring to this organization?
Cooper:"I haven't had any of those conversations yet, but I'm just ready to go in, put in the work, and I think I'll be a playmaker for this team."
Q: This team hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver in 10 years. Do you think you can be the guy to break that drought?
Cooper:"Hopefully."
Q: What do you think it's going to take?
Cooper:"A combination of things: a great team, guys who want the best for each other, a great quarterback and a lot of hard work."
Q: Take me through the phone call when you first talked to these guys sitting next to you. What was that experience like for you, especially for it to happen so early on in the draft?
Cooper:"Yeah, I was elated, really happy. Just excited to be a part of the organization. And that's pretty much it."
Q: Do you feel that your athletic ability might be undervalued a little as people talk about all the intangibles?
Cooper:"Not really. I think I've been playing receiver for so long that, you know, I learned how to run the routes at an early age. So I think it's a compliment to my game."
Q: How does playing in the SEC translate to the NFL?
Cooper:"I really can't answer that because I've never played in the NFL, but I know that there's a lot of talent in the SEC and I know that there's a lot of talent in the NFL so I guess it will translate well."
**
Q: Coach Jack Del Rio talked about how serious-minded you are about football. Are you jumping up and down inside a little more? Or is this the way your personality is in terms of taking things really seriously?**
Cooper:"Exactly, yeah."
Q: What's the story behind you not having a driver's license? Is that true?
Cooper:"No I have one. I got one in college this past summer."
Q: I heard someone mention after you were drafted that you weren't low maintenance, you were no maintenance. Where does that come from?
Cooper:"I'm really not sure. It's just how I've always been. It's really hard for me to answer that question I'm sorry."
Q: What do you know about the history of this Raiders organization?
Cooper:"I know a little bit about the receivers that were here. I know Jerry Rice was here for a little while, Tim Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, and so that's what I was interested in."* *
**
Q: Were you competitive at all throughout this process as far as being the first receiver taken? **
Cooper:"Yeah, of course I wanted to be the first receiver taken, just because it's been a dream of mine for so long. But I also understand that it really doesn't matter, because what matters is what you do once you get to the NFL."
Q: Everybody talks about your route-running ability. Where does that come from? How long have you been playing receiver? Do you pride yourself on being a good route runner and a technician?
Cooper:"Yes, I've been playing receiver since I first started playing football in the second or third grade. I think that's kind of rare, because usually when you're really young, the best athletes usually play running back because you run the ball more when you're younger. I think it was an advantage to me to be playing receiver for a long time and I think that's where my route-running ability comes from."
Q: You played really well in big games in college, rising to the occasion in terms of pressure moments. How does your serious approach help when you're in the spotlight?
Cooper:"I just treat practice as if it's a game. I try to visualize me running those routes in practice like I'm running them in the game, so I just take practice really serious. That's it."
Q: Have you had a chance to think about what number you're going to be wearing?
Cooper:"Yes, number 19."
Q: Former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown was pretty much lobbying for you to come to the Raiders prior to the draft. Has he reached out to you?
Cooper:"He hasn't reached out to me yet."
Q: When you were at Alabama, what were some of the football values you learned from Head Coach Nick Saban?
Cooper:"He wanted us to work hard. He wanted guys of high character. He wanted us to be diligent in our approach to watching film, taking practice really serious. He believes that if you practice well, you'll play well."
Q: Coach, how will Cooper's personality fit into the locker room and the values you like to see in a football player?
Del Rio:"I think that mindset that he brings in is one that we are building here in terms of understanding the correlation between practice and the performance that you give during practice, and how that translates to performance on the field on game days. Having a healthy appreciation of that is a good thing and one that we're working very hard to develop, make sure guys understand that."
Q: You mentioned how you were running routes when you were a kid. Were you always thinking NFL at that point? Was that the main dream you had growing up?
Cooper:"Yes."
Q: Was there a specific receiver you would emulate?
Cooper:"I liked Randy Moss growing up."
Q: Do you have any experience here in the Bay Area? What do you think about living in this part of the country?
Cooper:"This is my third time coming here in the past month. I came here for [ESPN's] Sports Science and a video shoot for Nike."
Q: What does it mean to be playing on the same team Fred Biletnikoff, whose award you won last year for being the top college receiver, used to?
Cooper:"It's a huge honor. I just want to be a great receiver like he was."
Q: Reggie, what has your schedule been like since last night? How late were you here last night?
McKenzie:"I was here until about midnight. I couldn't sleep. This is the fun part, putting this team together. We have two more picks today. We'll try to add some more good players for Amari here."
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