Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. selected by New York Jets with pick No. 30 in 2026 NFL Draft

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The New York Jets made Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. the 30th pick of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the fifth wide receiver taken.

The Jets traded with the San Francisco 49ers for the 30th pick, who dropped back to No. 33 in addition to receiving the 179th pick.

A 1 1/2-year starter for Curt Cignetti at Indiana, Cooper worked out of the slot on 88.3 percent of his snaps in 2025 as a fourth-year junior. He caught 12 touchdowns and led the Hoosiers in targets (95), receiving yardage (937) and catches. Of his 69 receptions, 44 went for first downs. He and Elijah Sarratt were the first Big Ten duo this century to each reach double-digit totals in touchdown catches during a regular season.

Memorably, Cooper made the leaping, 7-yard catch in the back of the end zone at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 8 with 36 seconds to play to produce a 27-24 win against Penn State — Indiana’s first game-winning touchdown drive in the final two minutes of regulation since 1998 — and preserve the Hoosiers’ unbeaten run. Indiana went 16-0 and won the national championship after Cooper caught five balls for 71 yards against Miami in the final victory.

‘The Beast’ breakdown

Cooper ranked No. 22 overall and was the No. 5 receiver on Dane Brugler’s big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

“Cooper will be an attractive draft target for the NFL teams that put high value on ball skills and run-after-catch ability. He projects as an inside-outside receiver who can be weaponized when featured.”

Coaching intel

Here’s what a head coach whose team played Indiana had to say about Cooper:

“I thought he was very underrated. There are lot of really good receivers in the Big Ten. Nobody talks about Cooper. And he wasn’t their go-to guy. Elijah Sarratt was, and then Charlie Becker comes on later in the season and makes a bunch of big plays. Cooper plays really strong and is very slick in space. You can tell he was a good basketball (player). He’s so good with the ball in his hands after the catch, too. He’s a problem to get on the ground.”

Come back later for more analysis of Cooper.