Omar Cooper Jr. is generating significant pre-draft buzz, with the Steelers and the Jets among the teams with interest in the Indiana wide receiver.
Cooper has been a steady riser throughout the pre-draft process and now finds himself as apotential first-round pick after visits to the Panthers, Browns, and Cowboys. He is also “in play” for the Steelers’ first-round pick (No. 21 overall), per Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline, with the Jets considering him with the first of their two second-rounders.
Seen as an NFL-ready slot receiver, Cooper would fill major needs in Pittsburgh and New York. The Steelers specifically need his skillset on the inside. Trading for Michael Pittman Jr. created a strong boundary duo with D.K. Metcalf, but neither spends much time in the slot. The Steelers instead used tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith to fill those snaps, but new head coach Mike McCarthy will be looking to run more three-receiver sets. His current depth options of Roman Wilson and Ben Skrownek do not profile as true No. 3 receivers in his scheme.
That requires a true slot, and Cooper could fit the bill. He lined up in the slot for more than 80% of his snaps in 2025 and ranked 17th in yards and 30th in catches in that alignment nationwide, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He also forced 27 missed tackles after the catch, the fourth-most in the FBS, with just five drops on 155 targets in the last three years. The former quality will be especially beneficial to a Steelers receiver room that forced just 18 missed tackles in 2025. Metcalf and Pittman are also both 29 years old, so Cooper would represent the long-term future of the unit.
The Jets have a similar, albeit younger, one-two punch leading their receiving corps in Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. Both primarily line up on the outside, again creating a natural fit for Cooper in the slot. New York’s need at receiver is dire enough to use one of their two first-round picks on the position, but the No. 2 pick seems to be earmarked for an edge rusher. Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon, the consensus top two receiver prospects, will likely be gone by the time the Jets are back on the clock at 16. Cooper would be a solid fallback option for the 33rd pick, if he falls that far.