In a world full of Carnell Tates and Jordan Tysons, sometimes an Omar Cooper Jr. goes unnoticed and underappreciated.
And while Tate has that familiar and prestigious backing of being an Ohio State wide receiver, and Jordan Tyson is the brother of Cavaliers breakout star Jalen Tyson, it feels as if Cooper Jr. has been swept under the rug, despite being a standout star on the CFP winning Indiana Hoosiers.
Cooper Jr. has slowly climbed the ranks within scouting circles and media relations, as Dane Brugler has him ranked No. 27 in his most recent Top 100 Prospects. That puts him well within range for the Cleveland Browns, who hold pick Nos. 24 and 39 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
To gain a little familiarity with Cooper Jr.: He stands at 6-foot, 201 pounds, hauled in 937 yards and 13 touchdowns playing the Z wide receiver role opposite fellow Indiana wide receiver prospect Elijah Sarratt.
Why Omar Cooper Jr. makes too much sense for Browns
For starters, he played on a team equipped with weaponry that resulted in massacres such as the 73-0 blowout against Indiana State. To be blunt, he had to share the ball heavily in first halves, then had minimal playing time in second-half blowouts to avoid major injury.
One major criticism of Cooper Jr. that has largely kept him out of first-round consideration is the lack of technical refinement and nuance within his route tree. He is too often reliant on speed and quick burst, but thrown into a heavy RPO system at Indiana, I believe he excelled at what he was asked to do, which revolved around that aforementioned speed and quick burst.
Cooper Jr. would bring immediate impact to a starved Browns wide receiving corps
Overall, I strongly believe in the upside Omar Cooper Jr. brings to the table; he is big enough to make plays on contested catches (54.3% contested catch rate) but possesses elite YAC ability (39.1% missed tackle rate) to be a major problem when the ball is in his hands. He has no major physical limitations and all of his perceived drawbacks stem from technique and a lack of sample size. Those are all fixable with proper NFL coaching. He is a first-round talent with all the potential in the world, being valued as a mid-second-rounder.
A team with a surplus of picks and ample draft capital — like the Cleveland Browns — should take serious interest in this prospect