The Washington Commanders will host another draft target at a position of need.
Another day, another draft prospect has emerged for the Washington Commanders. This time it's a prospect at a position of need coming in for a visit.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on Friday morning that former Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is set to visit with the Commanders today, one of five visits so far with four more remaining.
Cooper adds intrigue as a draft prospect for Washington, but how realistic is he?
Mock drafts point to the Indiana native as a possible late pick on day one or early on day two. For Washington? That's either a reach or out of reach for a Commanders front office void of a second round pick.
Justifying the seventh overall pick for Cooper could be the immediate candidate for the most surprising pick of the draft, while the Commanders don't have the draft capital as things currently stand to take him in his expected range. Washington enters the draft with just a pair of top-100 picks with the second being the 71st overall selection in round three, likely meaning a trade would have to materialize in order for Cooper to make his way to to Ashburn.
Yet Cooper enters the draft among the top prospect at his position while ESPN ranks him as the fifth-best draft prospect at his position.
Cooper appeared in four games during his freshman season in 2022 before making his first two career starts in 2023, then four starts in 2024 while appearing in every game. Then 2025 materialized where Cooper emerged as a top option for quarterback Fernando Mendoza en route to an undefeated season and national championship.
Cooper posted six games with at least six catches, while adding one 100-yard receiving game and one 200-yard receiving game, as a senior. Cooper finished with 937 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 74 catches including a four-touchdown performance vs. Indiana State, but he also scored a touchdown in all but two of the Hoosiers' Big Ten games. That includes his game winning touchdown in the back of the end zone in the final seconds to beat Penn State on the road, a highlight-reel play that cemented his profile nationally. He also added 74 yards and a rushing touchdown on three carries.
He becomes the latest known target at a position that the Commanders are expected to address in the first two days of the draft.