2. Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders
While the Raiders had a down year as a team, Jared Cook had a fairly successful year, at least statistically.
Cook caught 54 passes for 688 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first season with the Raiders, and his catch rate was up around 63 percent, the highest it’s been since 2010.
Cook’s presence in the Raiders’ offense didn’t exactly give them the boost they needed to take their stellar 2016 play to the next level, but perhaps the offense being installed by Jon Gruden will elevate his game even further.
The Raiders need to refocus in general, but specifically, they need better play out of Derek Carr. If Carr plays like he’s capable of, Cook can be a very nice complementary asset in the passing game.
He’s not the best blocker in the league at tight end, but that’s not why he was signed. The Raiders brought him in to use his size and speed to be a mismatch in the passing game.