Even though the 2026 NFL Draft is still a few months away, we all know what team Fernando Mendoza is going to play for. He will be the No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, playing for Klint Kubiak, throwing the ball to Brock Bowers, and handing it off to Ashton Jeanty in Southern Nevada for years to come. But what about his two star wide receivers at Indiana in Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt?
In Nicholas Rome's latest two-round NFL mock draft for Saturday Blitz, he obviously has Mendoza going No. 1 to the Silver and Black, but where he has Cooper and Sarratt going is certainly intriguing. He has Cooper coming off the board first to the Pittsburgh Steelers picking at No. 53 overall in the second round. Rome cites that Cooper would pair nicely next to DK Metcalf in their receiving corps.
Several picks later, Rome has the New England Patriots taking Sarratt with the No. 63 overall pick at the tail-end of the second round. He cites that while Sarratt's traits may not translate as seamlessly as one would think to the next level, his reliability in the receiving game should be a breath of fresh air for Drake Maye. In most estimations, Sarratt would be the one to come off the board first of the two.
What else can we glean from Rome's latest two-round NFL mock draft from Cooper and Sarratt here?
Omar Cooper Jr. comes off board before Elijah Sarratt in NFL mock draft
One of the reasons why Indiana was so dominant on the college football gridiron a season ago was how magnificently Mendoza went about distributing the ball to Cooper, Sarratt, and sophomore wide receiver Charlie Becker down the stretch. While Becker's role became way more defined as a physical possession receiver outside the numbers, Cooper and Sarratt were well-known commodities longer.
Cooper was the one to come down with Mendoza's first Heisman moment in the back of the end zone vs. Penn State. Sarratt was probably the most well-known of the three receivers throughout the entire season. Cooper and later Becker rising to his level helped take Indiana over the top. In a way, maybe Rome inadvertently explained what we are all thinking? Cooper is the prospect with the higher upside.
Overall, the chances of either Cooper or Sarratt going in the first round feel rather slim. They may have been stars in college, but they have felt like day-two picks throughout the process. That being said, it would be so strange to see either of them fall out of the second round. The sheer value and productivity any NFL team would be getting out of them would be stupendous, so do not be stupid...
For now, look for Mendoza's shine to help bring to light just how great Cooper and Sarratt really are.