By Jeremy Kahn

With an opportunity to take USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, the Oakland Raiders went an entirely different way with their first round pick.

General Manager Reggie McKenzie took Amari Cooper with the Raiders lone pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Cooper, who was the top wide receiver in the 2015 draft class played at the University of Alabama, where he played for Nick Saban and the offensive coordinator last season for the Crimson Tide was none other than former Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin.

During the 2014 season, Cooper led the nation with 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, as he helped the a Crimson a Tide to the National Championship game.

In his three years in Tuscaloosa, Cooper caught 228 passes for 3,463 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Cooper is the third wide receiver taken by the Raiders in the top 10 since 1967, after Tim Brown in 1988 and Darrius Heyward-Bey in 2008.