Now that the 2025 NFL and college football seasons are over, most fans have already turned their attention to the 2026 NFL Draft class. With both the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl behind us, the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is next up in a couple of weeks. There will be more and more information and Intel beginning to trickle out there as time goes on, including the NFL being higher on some players than most realize.

Former Indiana star wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is one of the more interesting players in the 2026 class. A universally liked prospect by most, Cooper has mostly been labeled as the Day Two wide receiver that you want this April. It appears, however, that the NFL might have a higher opinion of the 6-0, 204-pound wideout. That includes being ranked as the No. 27 overall player in the class by Dane Brugler of The Athletic.

Whenever Brugler says something, NFL fans would be wise to listen, considering his connections to the NFL. In doing my own research, along with my fellow A to Z Sports colleague Destin Adams, we can certainly verify that the NFL has a higher opinion of Cooper than most of the media. After talking to multiple sources, he is a safe bet for being drafted higher than many anticipated in April.

NFL sources on Omar Cooper Jr.

When talking to an area scout on the NFC side, he raved about Cooper as a player. I admittedly am a bit lower on Cooper when it comes to the first round talk, but the source made some solid points about Cooper’s place in the class. It is a combination of how well his skill set translates, as well as the state of the 2026 draft class.

“Good player with toughness,” the NFC area scout said. “YAC ability and contested catch ability that are good athletes are worthy of going first round, especially in this class. He’s one of the better pure football players in this class. I think he is tight, which might be my biggest issue with him. But I watch the way he wins, and at this level, it wins.”

“Omar Cooper, out of Indiana, isn’t getting talked about enough,” an AFC scout told Adams. “He has one of the most complete skill sets of any WR in this year’s class. I think he can be a day one starter for a lot of teams and has the ability to fit multiple different molds teams could be looking to add in the draft.”

A different source close to the Indiana program also spoke Cooper’s praises to Adams. The junior had a chance to return to school, but parlayed his tremendous 2025 season (69 receptions, 937 yards, 13 touchdowns) into the opportunity to declare early. It was a decision that wasn’t impulsive, and the feedback verifies that.

“If he were getting day three draft projections from the league like some assumed he would, he would have been back here (Indiana) for one more year. He is going to be a day two pick at worst, and I think he has a real shot to be the second of our players taken after Fernando.” – Indiana staff member

For all the draftniks out there, it is time to start penciling Cooper into the first round conversation. The NFL is clearly higher on the Indiana star than the media right now. As long as he has a clean process, it appears he is poised to go quite high in a couple of months.

NFL Draft

Omar Cooper Jr. 2026 NFL Draft: scouting report for Indiana, wide receiver

The National Championship winning wide receiver is a fascinating prospect going into the NFL Draft process.

Tyler Forness