UPDATED: *Raiders wide reciver Amari Cooper has now caught more passes than any other player in their rookie season in Raiders history. The previous mark was 44 held by tight end Zach Miller. Hall of Famer Tim Brown caught 43 his rookie season. During the Raiders 24-21 win over the Titans in Week 12, Cooper surpassed James Jett's rookie receiving yardage mark of 771, and now has 851 yards receiving in just 11 games.
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Wide receiver Amari Cooper isn't the only wide receiver the Raiders have selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Tim Brown in 1988. However, he certainly is the first since Brown that is off to the kind of start that makes the experts and fans alike sit up and take notice.
Brown was 6', 195 pounds during his playing days. Cooper is listed at 6'1", 211 pounds. Brown looked bigger perhaps because of the large shoulder pads he wore coming out of Notre Dame.
Both wide receivers played at big time programs, Notre Dame and Alabama respectively, and played in the biggest of games on the national stage. Brown was known for his yards after the catch and kick return ability. Cooper has been surprisingly good after the catch so far, and has displayed some punt return ability.
The Raiders haven't had a go-to career guy since Brown. Players who spend their entire careers with the same team are rare in today's day and age. Brown finished his with one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he left the Raiders after 16 seasons as the team's all-time leading receiver with 1,070 catches for 14,734 yards and 99 TD grabs over 16 seasons.
Cooper has a long way to go to catch Brown, but he is off to a great start.
First 11 career games:
Cooper: 58 receptions, 851 yards, 4 TDs, 14.7 yards per catch
Brown: 26 receptions, 424 yards, 3 TDs, 16.3 yards per catch
| Date | Brown | Date | Cooper |
| 9/4/88 | 2 for 42 | 9/13/15 | 5 for 47 |
| 9/11/88 | 3 for 23, 1 TD | 9/20/15 | 7 for 109, 1 TD |
| 9/18/88 | 1 for 49, 1 TD | 09/27/15 | 8 for 134 |
| 9/26/88 | 0 for 0 | 10/4/14 | 4 for 49, 1 TD |
| 10/02/88 | 2 for 67, 1 TD | 10/11/15 | 4 for 47 |
| 10/09/88 | 2 for 28 | 10/25/15 | 5 for 133, 1 TD |
| 10/16/88 | 1 for 6 | 11/1/15 | 5 for 46 |
| 10/23/88 | 1 for 7 | 11/8/15 | 7 for 88, 1 TD |
| 10/30/88 | 8 for 95 | 11/15/15 | 5 for 79 |
| 11/6/88 | 4 for 49 | 11/22/15 | 1 for 4 |
| 11/13/88 | 4 for 58 | 11/29/15 | 7 for 115 |
