The Denver Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle, sending their first-round pick (No. 30) to the Miami Dolphins. That pick was later used by the New York Jets to select Omar Cooper Jr.
Jaylen Waddle (27) will be entering his sixth season in the NFL this fall, and Omar Cooper Jr. (22) will be entering his rookie season. The two wide receivers will forever be linked from this point forward in their respective careers.
The Denver Broncos acquired Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in March. The trade included Denver sending its first-round pick (No. 30) overall to Miami, allowing Waddle to join a Broncos club with Super Bowl aspirations.
When draft day arrived, the Dolphins traded the 30th overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Niners then turned around and traded the pick to the New York Jets. After landing with a fourth club, pick No. 30 was finally used to select Cooper, who just won a college football national championship with Indiana last season.
So, had Denver never made the trade for Waddle, the Broncos could have stayed put at pick No. 30 and landed Cooper (assuming Cooper's draft stock wouldn't have been impacted by a butterfly effect of Waddle not being traded). Waddle is a proven, accomplished receiver, and Denver has a window to compete for a title now. So the trade made sense, but it will still be interesting to see how Cooper stacks up against Waddle over the next four years after the pick the Broncos gave up ultimately became Cooper.
The Broncos sent their first-round pick, No. 30 overall, to the Miami Dolphins to acquire Jaylen Waddle.
The No. 30 pick was eventually used by the New York Jets to select Omar Cooper Jr.
Jaylen Waddle is entering his sixth NFL season, while Omar Cooper Jr. is a rookie, making it interesting to compare their performances in the future.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Jaylen Waddle vs. Omar Cooper will be tracked after 2026 trade