Despite spending their past two first-round picks on wide receivers, the Panthers could go back to the well this year. They will host Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on a “30” visit, Jordan Reid of ESPN reports.
After redshirting as a freshman, Cooper finished with 18 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns in nine games in 2023. Like the rest of the Indiana program, though, Cooper found another gear under head coach Curt Cignetti from 2024-25.
While Cooper only had 28 receptions in 13 games in Cignetti’s first season, he averaged a jaw-dropping 21.2 yards per catch and hauled in seven touchdowns. The 6-foot, 200-pounder moved to the slot last year and played an integral role in the Hoosiers’ 16-0, national title-winning campaign. Teaming up with quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who transferred from California, Cooper finished with 69 catches, 937 yards (13.6 YPC) and 13 receiving TDs.
Both Mendoza, who is all but guaranteed to go No. 1 overall, and Cooper are riding high as the draft nears. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Cooper as the 18th-best prospect in this year’s class, writing that he “fits the exact model of wideouts finding immediate success in the NFL.”
With the Panthers holding the 19th pick, Cooper could be in their wheelhouse. The team has “done a lot of work on receivers” leading up to the draft, according to Reid. The Panthers have made big draft investments at the position in recent years, though they haven’t all worked out. Terrace Marshall (2021) and Jonathan Mingo (2023) are out of the organization after flopping as second-rounders under previous general manager Scott Fitterer. Dan Morgan, then a rookie GM, traded into the first round in 2024 to take Xavier Legette 32nd overall. Legette has since posted unspectacular numbers, though 2025 eighth overall selection Tetairoa McMillan had a tremendous first season en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
The Panthers also have a young slot receiver in two-year veteran Jalen Coker, but there is room to add another talented pass catcher like Cooper to aid quarterback Bryce Young. While the Panthers will exercise Young’s fifth-year option, they will need to see more from the 2023 No. 1 pick before doling out an extension.