NFL Draft expert gives Bengals exciting option to further strengthen the best part of their team, but the cost would be high
Another weapon the Bengals can consider adding for Joe Burrow.
The goal for the Cincinnati Bengals should be to exit free agency feeling pretty good about their defense. Filling their dire needs as best they can is imperative if they want to open up the 2026 NFL Draft.
Until those defensive holes are filled, the concept of Cincinnati drafting a wide receiver with a premium pick will be contested at the very least. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are still wearing the uniform; does Joe Burrow really need another notable investment in his already accomplished arsenal of weaponry?
One of the most prominent voices in the draft space would love to see it.
Daniel Jeremiah would love adding Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. to Bengals’ offense
The Bengals do not need another starting receiver, but Andrei Iosivas is entering a contract year and can be upgraded with the right fit. Iosivas himself was crowned as Tyler Boyd’s replacement in 2024, and while he’s been productive in spots, there’s room for the slot receiver position to expand in the offense.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah was asked by Cincy Jungle’s Anthony Cosenza which player in the upcoming draft fit the bill as someone who could truly bring back what Boyd had at his peak, and he landed on Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr.
“If I could put a master plan together, and you told me I could have pick number 41 to get that accomplished. I would run Omar Cooper Jr.’s name up to the up to the podium out of Indiana,” Jeremiah said. “I think I wrote, I tweeted out the other day he’s like the Ramsiest receiver, like meant as a compliment of someone who’s just incredibly tough and strong. They use the term being grounded through the catch, like your cleats are in the ground. You catch everything on the run. You have confidence in your hand, you’re not leaving your feet and corral on the ball with your body, which gives you an opportunity to do some things with it after the catch. He’s got a really strong lower body.
“And then all the stuff you hear about him, you know, from a character standpoint, is elite off the charts. So if I could put Omar Cooper Jr. in that offense with those two other wide receivers, with Chase and Higgins, yeah, sign me up for that.”
Cooper is very easy to highlight as a possible Bengals draft target. He’s coming off a fantastic season and would have an immediate role in a room that develops pass-catchers up their with the best of them. A to Z Sports’ Ryan Roberts reported earlier this month he’s even being viewed as a possible first-round pick.
And that’s why Jeremiah mentioned Cincinnati’s second-round pick, the No. 41 overall selection, as the one to use on Cooper. The likelihood of him lasting much longer than that seems very low.
A top-50 pick is essentially a premium pick in the draft, and it would be an impactful decision from the Bengals to use one on a receiver. It’s a high cost, but if enough is done in March to better the roster, it can be a cost worth paying for Cincinnati.
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