TribLive is highlighting the top prospects leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The three-day event is April 23-25.

Omar Cooper Jr.

Position: Wide receiver

Height/weight: 6 foot/199 pounds

College: Indiana

Cooper was the leading receiver on last season’s national championship team.

The 22-year-old redshirt junior starred as a slot receiver in an Indiana offense quarterbacked by likely No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Cooper had 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns.

His best highlight-reel catch was a leaping toe-tap in the back of the end zone to beat Penn State in the final minute.

Draft analyst Lance Zierlein described Cooper in his NFL.com profile as a “big, strong target whose two-year rise is bolstered by translatable tape.” Zierlein compared his run-after-catch skills to former All-Pro Deebo Samuel, noting that Cooper’s routes “lack polish … but he’s rugged once the ball is in his hands.”

The second-team All-American played 41 games for Indiana over four years with 20 starts.

Cooper ranked fourth among all FBS receivers in 2024 by averaging 21.2 yards per catch. He compiled 594 yards and seven touchdowns on 28 catches.

At the NFL Combine, Cooper ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds and leaped 37 inches in the vertical jump.

Key stat

75 yards — Length of his touchdown run last year that tied for the longest in Indiana history by a wide receiver.

Did you know?

Both of Cooper’s parents played Division I college basketball. His mother, Vnemina, played at Michigan State, and his father, Omar Sr., at Louisiana Tech.

On draft

Here is a look at where the top NFL Draft analysts rank Cooper among players at his position and prospects overall:

Draft expert — WR/Overall

Mel Kiper Jr. — eighth/NA*

Daniel Jeremiah — third/18th

Todd McShay — fourth/19th

Field Yates — fourth/23rd

*Cooper wasn’t among Kiper’s top 25 players

Quotable

“I’ve always enjoyed competing. It’s the household that I grew up in, with my parents both playing collegiate basketball. They always taught competition in our family.”

— Cooper at the NFL Combine