Amari Cooper Apparently Looking ‘Hefty’ And ‘Out Of Shape’

Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders star wide receiver, has garnered a lot of attention for his offseason transformation – and apparently, not all of it positive.

Oakland Raiders wideout Amari Cooper, widely recognized as a superstar in the making, has had an incredible first two seasons in the league. Posting back to back 1,000 yard seasons, he’s one of the biggest reasons the Oakland offense finds itself in the midst of a renaissance.

Alas, for all of the highs, his first two seasons have also not been without their share of the lows. Drops, injuries, and a slight fade in productivity have marked the second half of Cooper’s first two years in the league.

One subject of conversation has always been Cooper’s slight build. Coming out of Alabama, Cooper measured six-foot-one and a lean 210 lbs. Some believed that Cooper’s lean frame – combined with the constant pounding delivered by bigger defensive backs – were a big contributor to his diminishing productivity in the second half of the season.

Perhaps as a result of the talk, or maybe just out of a personal desire to bulk up, Cooper showed up to this season’s offseason program looking like anything but the thin, quiet kid he was in his first two seasons.

In other words, Cooper showed up to OTA’s looking – jacked.

Cooper is obviously bigger and stronger, and in all likelihood, that bulked up frame is going to allow him to absorb the beating NFL wide receivers routinely take game in and game out. Getting himself bigger should allow for Cooper to better withstand the rigors of a full sixteen-game NFL season.

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In other words, by getting himself jacked up, Cooper’s second half fades very well may be a thing of the past.

There are some out there though, who apparently aren’t all that impressed with Cooper’s physical transformation. Mind-bogglingly enough, there’s at least one writer who thinks Cooper looks “hefty” and “out of shape.”

Yeah, that’s apparently really a thing. As unbelievable as that may sound.

Feast your eyes on this piece by a writer named David Hookstead who apparently doesn’t know the difference between a player showing up looking jacked (Cooper) and a player who actually does roll in looking out of shape (Kelvin Benjamin).

This writer begins his piece by using a “before” and “after” shot of Cooper as he looks now versus last season, and says, “For comparison here is a photo of Cooper from last season. He looks like he’s in much better shape and much leaner.”

Let’s start off the conversation by saying that leaner isn’t always indicative of somebody who’s in better shape than another person. In both photos, Cooper looks to be in excellent physical condition – aka in shape. It’s just that in the photo from last season, he’s thinner and isn’t quite as muscular as he is heading into this season.

Hookstead then doubles down on his original — insights.

"“I’m not expert, but if my superstar receiver shows up to camp looking out of shape and much bigger than the season before I’m going to have some serious questions.”"

The very first thing that should have tipped him off that Cooper’s new physique wasn’t a problem though (for anybody, but him) was that nobody within the organization asked any questions – serious or otherwise.

In fact, other than this writer’s article, the only conversation surrounding Cooper’s new look has been – positive. And believe Kelvin Benjamin – if weight was an issue, Cooper would have heard plenty about it.

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This writer then wraps up his piece with what is, very clearly, the observation of somebody who either isn’t paying attention or doesn’t understand what it is they’re actually seeing.

"“It’s one thing to get bigger physically and not sacrifice any speed or agility. Calvin Johnson is the prototype for that. However, I’m not exactly sure that’s what Amari Cooper has accomplished in the offseason”"

Through the offseason program thus far, Cooper has flashed every bit as much as he did in his first two seasons. He is very obviously bigger physically – yet, by all accounts through the offseason program, he hasn’t lost the speed, explosiveness, or elusiveness that has him poised to be the next NFL superstar.

So yes, David Hookstead, Cooper has indeed accomplished that in the offseason.

Cooper is bigger, stronger, more durable, and remains every bit as fast and elusive – which means he’s going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing defensive backs.

And those defensive backs who are going to be victimized by Cooper can only wish he was actually “hefty” and “out of shape.”