ESPN analyst Mike Mayock thinks the Raiders will be paying extra close attention this week to wide receivers Amari Cooper (Alabama), Kevin White (West Virginia) and DeVante Parker (Louisville) at the NFL scouting combine.



The last time the Raiders had a 1,000-yard wide receiver was Randy Moss in 2005, and even at that it was a subpar year by Moss’ standards (60 receptions, 1,005 yards, eight touchdowns).

So when the Raiders are up at No. 4 overall in the NFL draft, the smart money has the Raiders zeroing in on a wide receiver. Cooper, White and Parker are the three Mayock believes would merit selection that high.

“I would imagine that one of those three guys are going to be their pick,” Mayock said during a national conference call Monday. “I think any one of the three could be highly productive.”

Cooper, 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, is the most decorated wide receiver in college football with 124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns at Alabama. He is not quite the physical specimen that White (6-foot-3, 210) and Parker (6-foot-3, 210) are in terms of the ability to high-point a ball and come down with receptions, as Mike Evans did for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last season.

White had 109 catches for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Parker had 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns. Parker has the best yards per catch average of the three at 19.9 yards per catch and had 22 touchdowns in his sophomore and junior years.

“I think Cooper, from Alabama has got the highest floor,” Mayock said. `I think he’s the safest pick of that group. Really good route runner. Had over 100 catches last year. Reminds me of some of those wide outs that played on the greatest show on turf, with Dick Vermeil in St. Louis. Torry Holt, for instance. That type of wide receiver. Whereas the other two Kevin White, DeVante Parker, are bigger bodied guys where you can throw it up and they can win jump balls.”

Mayock gave general manager Reggie McKenzie high marks for the Raiders’ early selections last year.

Obviously, I was a Khalil Mack guy,” Mayock said. “I think everybody had to be impressed with the year he had and the way you could build with him as a foundation, coming off the edge for years to come. I had Derek Carr I think at No. 20 on my top 100 and the further that we got in the process the more I liked the kid. I think he’s the guy you build your offense around.

“Gabe Jackson if I remember correctly was a third-round pick and he was one of those big, square, tough guards that I really like and he played well. I think they did exceptionally well at the top end of the draft last year.”