Omar Cooper Jr. will enter the National Football League after a dream college football season. The Indianapolis native was part of a stunning national championship season for the Indiana Hoosiers.
Cooper was two time all state in high school for football but also starred in basketball as well as track and field where he competed in the long jump. Rated the 22nd best wide receiver prospect in the nation by Rivals, Cooper went to a Hoosiers program that was nowhere near the best in FBS.
His first three seasons for IU were pretty quiet. He redshirted in 2022, had just 18 catches in 2023 and 28 receptions in 2024. He broke out last season as the Hoosiers rolled to an unbeaten record.
Cooper's 69 catches were tied for third most in a single season in program history. 40 of the 69 catches went for a first down or touchdown. He totaled 937 yards and 13 TD's, earned Second Team Big 10 honors and was named an All American.
Cooper left Indiana fourth all time with 22 touchdown receptions. Over 41 games in his career, he recorded 115 catches for 1798 yards. The 6'0", 204 pound Cooper ran a 4.42 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine and had a 37" vertical jump.
Joe Marino provides draft analysis for WGR. His website is thejoemarino.com and you can subscribe to his Locked On Bills Podcast. Joe shares his thoughts on Cooper.
Positves:
Omar Cooper is really good. Body control and play strength. I think those are two things that really excite me. The ball skills are terrific here. Really good ability to track, adjust, and get in position to make plays. Certainly the toe taps and the above the rim game are really good. He's a sure handed player, a career drop rate of 4.2%. He catches everything.
There's inside outside versatility. I love the yards after catch profile. His transition from receiver to runner is really good. Then there's a physical profile and an explosive profile when he has the ball in his hands and he's super competitive. I think there's a vertical element to his game. I think he can win down the field and give you something on those deep posts and overs and go routes.
I like his intermediate route running profile. Pretty detailed in and out of brakes, quarterback friendly, adjust well to zone, can separate from man, and he's tough over the middle of the field. He is not afraid to go over the middle and know that he's going to get hit, but hang in there and make a tough catch.
Negatives:
I think he's another player that has a modest wingspan. So not a threat to really extend his catch radius. He's got good body control and above the rim game, but I wouldn't call him an inaccuracy eraser by any means. I think he's got a really exciting route running profile, but I think expanding his route tree is going to be important. At Indiana, it was very much an RPO heavy scheme, so some manufactured touches and not always having to earn his targets. Then I was expecting a bit more of a run blocking profile here, based on his overall game, but that's something that'll have to grow at the next level.
The NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
It wouldn't be a Bills draft preview if we didn't take a look at the top wide receiver prospects.
It wouldn't be a Bills draft preview if we didn't take a look at the top wide receiver prospects.
