For as great of a final season as Omar Cooper Jr. had last year for the Indiana Hoosiers, it was always going to be difficult for him to crack the top 32 in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. While there is still a possibility that he could be a late first-round pick, one team that could have been a great landing spot for him is no longer one. The Buffalo Bills trading for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore says it all.
Buffalo is getting Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2026 second-round selection.
Compensation agreed upon:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2026
🏈Buffalo gets: DJ Moore and 2026 5th-round pick.
🏈Chicago gets: 2026 2nd-round pick.
While the Bills still have the No. 26 overall pick, the chances of them using it on a wide receiver like Cooper seems to have gone out the window. A contending team like the Bills needs to build up its receiving corps like a basketball team, one with every player manning a certain position. With Buffalo getting Moore from the Bears in a trade, Cooper would be a younger redundancy of their acquisition.
Another team that makes sense to take Cooper in the first round would be the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Omar Cooper Jr. no longer a really possibility for Buffalo Bills at No. 26
Look. If a second player off last year's national championship team goes in the first round following Fernando Mendoza likely going No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, it would have to be Cooper. Defensive back D'Angelo Ponds is undersized, so he will probably go in the second round. Cooper's running mate outside in Elijah Sarratt is likely a third-round pick due to injury concerns and upside.
Outside of Cooper being a clutch performer, he does have a rapport with Adam Henry. The new Steelers wide receivers coach was Cooper's position coach at IU way back in 2022. He was also one of his recruiters to get him to come to Bloomington in the first place. Although the fit seems too logical to pass up, never trust the Steelers to do what is practical with their mid-first-round picks...
Overall, for as good of a landing spot as Buffalo would have been for Cooper, Pittsburgh might be the best one still lurking for him in the first round. Of course, the Steelers desperately need an answer at quarterback. Could they be in play to take Ty Simpson out of Alabama at No. 21 as QB2 well behind Mendoza? Let's not rule that out. For now, DK Metcalf needs a running mate, as Cooper is a good one.
As the NFL Draft process goes along, there is still a halfway decent chance that Cooper goes top 32.