Jets listed as best fit for rising draft star at position of biggest need

Could this national champion WR be the answer?

Charlie Baduini

Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Jets have several holes to fill entering the 2026 NFL Draft, and none bigger than the wide receiver position.

They've yet to make an addition at the position in free agency, and have only two true proven talents on the depth chart. Superstar Garrett Wilson and hopeful WR2 Adonai Mitchell. Darren Mougey has tried to make it known that the Jets are fine with the current makeup of the room, but it's hard to fool anyone with return specialist Isaiah Williams penciled in as WR3.

That leaves the draft as the team's ideal way to add at wide receiver, but there's no guarantee the Jets will be able to land any of the top prospects. Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon could all be off the board by the time No. 16 rolls around.

If that doomsday scenario happens, which direction would the Jets go? They would still obviously need to make a wide receiver pick at some point.

Jets named as top landing spot for Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo named the Jets as one of the best fits for Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., a reigning national champion and fast riser throughout this year's pre-draft process.

"The Jets are going to draft the top defender on their board at No. 2 overall, with David Bailey and Arvell Reese as the favorites. With their second of their first-round selections (No. 16), they may target an offensive lineman or wide receiver. Cooper projects as an excellent complement to Wilson."
Justin Melo

Cooper Jr. is an interesting prospect. When the pre-draft process began, he was considered a Day 2 pick. Now that we've gotten through the NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Day workouts, he's shot himself towards the first round.

Could the Jets select the national champion at No. 16? Maybe. It would probably be a reach, but sometimes teams draft for need. If they could get him at No. 33, that would be ideal, but as the days go by, it seems probable that Cooper Jr. ends up a first-round pick.

ESPN's Jordan Reid reported that the Jets are one of the teams with the most interest in the wideout, and their infatuation could lead to that selection at No. 16, especially if the other top targets are off the board.

Regardless, the Jets need wide receivers, and beggars can't be choosers. If New York is on the clock and the Indiana product is available, it will be hard for them to justify passing on him.

Charlie Baduini

Charlie Baduini covers the New York Jets as a site expert for The Jet Press and FanSided. He is a sports journalist based in Northern New Jersey with a wide variety of sports reporting experience in print and broadcast journalism. Baduini’s byline can also be seen on Heavy and The Sporting News, where he covers several teams across the NFL and NBA. His work has been featured in Heavy, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and Yardbarker. He also serves as a seasonal intern for ESPN, working as a production assistant for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony every year since 2022. Baduini has been a Jets fan for as long as he can remember, with his family's fandom dating back to the 1960s when his grandfather, Louis, became a season ticket holder. His family has since held on to the tickets to this day. He is an avid fan of the New York Knicks and New York Mets.