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Former IU football wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. selected No. 30 overall in 2026 NFL draft

 

Former IU football wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. selected No. 30 overall in 2026 NFL draft

Former standout IU football wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. gave the program a second first-round pick in Thursday’s 2026 NFL draft.

The 6-foot, 204-pound receiver, an Indianapolis native, was selected by the New York Jets with the 30th pick.

Over the last three seasons in Bloomington, Cooper made 115 catches for 1,798 yards and 22 touchdowns.

While many believed Cooper would be a second or third round selection when he declared for the draft following IU’s run to the CFP national championship, a strong pre-draft process and combine vaulted him into the first round.

Cooper’s 2025 season was by far his most productive in an IU uniform as he caught 13 touchdowns, placing him in a tie for third on the program’s single-season receiving touchdowns list.

He was one of just six IU players to finish his career with 20 or more receiving touchdowns. Cooper finished No. 4 on the career receiving touchdowns list and No. 11 on the total touchdowns list with 24.

A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, his signature moment as a Hoosier came in IU’s come-from-behind win at Penn State on November 8.

With Indiana trailing and less than a minute to play, Cooper’s lone touchdown catch against the Nittany Lions came on a third-and-goal from the seven-yard line. With remarkable body control in the back of the end zone, he caught Fernando Mendoza’s rocket pass and got one foot inbounds to propel IU to a 27-24 lead and preserve its unbeaten record.

The touchdown catch finished off IU’s first game-winning touchdown drive with two minutes or less remaining in regulation since the 1998 season.

Cooper earned second-team All-America honors by the Football Writers Association of America in his final season and was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and media.

A member of the 2022 recruiting class out of Lawrence North, Cooper was a top 300 player nationally out of high school and a four-star recruit.

Heisman Trophy winner and former IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

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