Over the following few months, we’ll be breaking down the entire rookies added by the Jets throughout the draft and as undrafted free brokers. We start right this moment with vast receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
The 22-year outdated Cooper is listed at 6’0” and 199 kilos and was the thirtieth total select of Indiana. Cooper had solely began six video games earlier than 2025, however he was an enormous a part of the Hoosiers’ nationwide title profitable sport as he caught 13 landing passes and was named as a second-team All-American.
Having been a four-star recruit out of highschool, Cooper headed to Indiana the place he was considered one of their few key contributors that was already on the crew when head coach Curt Cignetti arrived and a number of gamers transferred to Indiana with him.
Cooper finally redshirted his first season in 2022 having performed in 4 video games with out registering a catch.
In 2023, he broke out with a 100-yard sport within the second sport of the season and ultimately caught 18 passes for 267 yards and two scores as he began two video games.
His function elevated in 2024 and he led the Huge Ten with a 21.2 yards per catch common. He ended up with 28 catches for 594 yards and 7 touchdowns, whereas additionally speeding for a landing.
2025 noticed Indiana go unbeaten on the best way to a nationwide title with Cooper a significant contributor as he had 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns. A postseason harm restricted his manufacturing down the stretch however he nonetheless had 5 catches for 71 yards within the nationwide title sport.
After the season, having been named as each a second-team All-American and second-team all-Huge Ten choice, Cooper introduced he was getting into the 2026 draft and impressed throughout the pre-draft course of to determine himself as a possible first spherical choice.
The Jets moved up from 33 to 30 to pick out Cooper, who reportedly was a participant that they had been contemplating taking at 16.
Let’s transfer onto some extra in-depth evaluation of what Cooper brings to the desk, based mostly on in-depth analysis and movie research.
Cooper didn’t carry out a full exercise on the scouting mix and solely did place drills at his professional day however his 4.42 time within the 40-yard sprint and 37-inch vertical are strong indicators of how dynamic he seems to be on movie.
He lacks best dimension and doesn’t have an enormous catch radius however shows good play energy in sure conditions.
Cooper’s function in his breakout 2025 season was utterly totally different than the one he performed in his first two seasons, however the Jets would presumably think about this to be proof that he can excel in both function.
For 2 years, he performed totally on the surface and was extra of a downfield menace. Nonetheless, his major function in 2025 noticed him lining up within the slot and catching the next share of his passes that had been sometimes nearer to the road of scrimmage.
He carried the ball on finish arounds or reverses 5 occasions in his profession and scored on two of those, together with a 75-yard landing.
As famous, Cooper was sometimes focused extra downfield in his first two seasons however he nonetheless had some success happening the sector final 12 months. He was nonetheless a constant huge play menace as he had no less than one catch of 38 yards or extra in seven of 16 video games.
He averaged 21.2 yards per catch in 2024 to steer the Huge Ten and has proven the power to get behind the protection on deep throws as he locates the ball early and also can make performs down the sector on leap balls or again shoulder throws.
Cooper caught over 75 % of his targets final 12 months and confirmed sure-handedness all through his profession as he had simply 5 profession drops, three of which got here final season. None of those appeared to be routine focus drops.
His catch share was beneath 60 % in his first two season, not a lot as a result of he had extra low share targets down the sector however extra as a result of he was hardly ever used on excessive share quick passes.
He has a capability to make spectacular catches, together with the clutch seize that gave Indiana considered one of their largest wins of the season towards Penn State. He frequently showcases glorious physique management and agility.
Cooper additionally has huge palms, regardless of not having a lot of a catch radius, and is adept at hanging onto the ball when taking a success or going to floor.
Cooper’s route operating is a growing space however he seems to be easy at occasions, even when he’s not at all times according to how sharply he breaks on the prime of his route stem. He can use deception and burst to get open and is efficient on double-moves.
Arguably probably the most tantalizing factor about him as a prospect is that the stop-go talents and alter of path his shows with the ball in his palms may very well be harnessed to make him much more deadly as a route runner. These talents haven’t completely been optimized but, nevertheless it’s fascinating to notice that you just often see flashes on it on performs the place he both wasn’t focused or the throw was off-target, so these could have fallen off the radar of anybody who centered primarily on his highlights.
One space of potential enchancment is when defensive gamers get their palms on him. He might use his palms higher to get them off him extra effectively.
Cooper had already established himself as a superb crimson zone possibility with seven landing catches regardless of not enjoying a full-time function in 2024. He additionally rushed for a 16-yard landing and caught a two-pointer that season earlier than constructing on that with 14 whole touchdowns in 2025.
He has the power to go up and make contested catches, making him a superb possibility on fades or throws to the again of the top zone. Nonetheless, most of his crimson zone touchdowns appear to return from his capacity to get separation in tight areas.
Cooper’s capacity after the catch is considered one of his most spectacular traits, as he shows elusiveness, contact stability and energy as a ball provider. His spotlight reels are suffering from spectacular examples of him being robust to deliver down or combating for yardage on the finish of a play.
His manufacturing after the catch was sixteenth within the nation in 2025, with a superb chunk of that approaching display passes. Having by no means beforehand been used on screens, Cooper averaged multiple per sport in 2025 and produced nicely on these.
Along with typical screens, it’s clearly value getting the ball in his palms as usually as doable, so pop passes, jet sweeps and finish arounds are additionally on the menu.
He didn’t fumble in faculty.
Some scouting studies criticize Cooper’s effort and physicality when blocking, however truly the movie exhibits that he makes some good contributions as a blocker and is extra bodily than marketed in that space.
His run blocking grades based on evaluation websites equivalent to Professional Soccer Focus had been strong over the previous season and confirmed enchancment over his first two years.
He’s not huge and lacks size, so he’ll possible at all times be simpler at crashing down or hustling to chop off a tackler’s angle downfield than making an attempt to lock onto and maintain a block on the surface.
We’ve already famous how aggressive Cooper could be as a ball provider and that his physicality as a blocker could also be higher than marketed.
When it comes to his work on the catch-point, he has an honest document, with a catch fee over 50 % on contested catches. Some analysts consider that is someplace he nonetheless wants to enhance although.
He was an honest basketball participant in highschool which exhibits up in his capacity to compete for possession.
Penalties haven’t been a problem for Cooper who had simply three offensive penalties in his profession, together with none in his final 23 video games. He attracts loads of penalties although and can play by means of contact to compete for the ball.
Cooper was a superb kick returner in highschool and acquired a number of probabilities to run again kickoffs in his first season, with not a lot success. Since that point, he’s had a number of reps speeding punts and a few as a blocker on the kick return unit however didn’t contribute a lot.
He had two particular groups penalties in his faculty profession.
Instincts and Intelligence
Cooper was in a position to showcase his instincts extra inside his 2025 function as he’s thought to be good at processing coverages and discovering open areas.
His imaginative and prescient as a ball provider and talent to hold out blocking roles with out lacking assignments are additionally optimistic.
Cooper is a coachable participant who is devoted to enhancing and exhibits good competitiveness and resilience on the sector.
He’s a person of religion and there are not any considerations with off-field points or on-field self-discipline.
An ankle harm to Cooper within the first quarter of the Huge Ten title sport threatened to derail his season and the Hoosiers’ nationwide title bid. He missed the remainder of the sport, however was wholesome in time for the Rose Bowl.
Earlier on in his profession, he had an undisclosed harm that affected him in 2023 and a knee harm throughout his junior 12 months of highschool.
Cooper’s capacity to play each in and out and his dimension profile arguably might make him interchangeable with Wilson which may very well be a optimistic factor.
New York may very well be hoping to construct their passing sport round these gamers whereas with the ability to discover different gamers with attributes Wilson and Cooper lack equivalent to dimension.
Cooper is a receiver who has a powerful skill-set and a superb physique of labor when it comes to his sport movie.
He’s the type of receiver the Jets have been making an attempt so as to add to their lineup for the previous few seasons with Elijah Moore, Mecole Hardman and Malachi Corley every having comparable skill-sets. Jamaal Pritchett brings lots of the identical issues to the desk too. So long as Cooper has no character, work ethic or angle considerations, his probabilities of being extra profitable than Moore, Hardman and Corley are enhanced.
The manufacturing Cooper generated over the course of his profession was not essentially excellent and it’s value noting that three of his 4 profession 100-yard video games got here towards non-FBS groups. Nonetheless, he was on a crew final 12 months with a number of viable go catching threats and focused lower than 100 occasions consequently.
10 of Indiana’s 16 wins final 12 months had been by 20 or extra factors too, so he would have had plenty of video games the place he wasn’t focused a lot within the second half, if he was even within the sport.
The Jets will really feel they acquired glorious worth by with the ability to draft a man they believed was a top-20 expertise proper on the finish of the primary spherical and possibly had been sensible to commerce forward of the Payments to make sure they landed him. He must be a superb weapon for Geno Smith this 12 months and whoever begins at quarterback within the years forward.
