Jets questioned for landing Indiana national champion after paying a somewhat big price

Jets questioned for landing Indiana national champion after paying a somewhat big price originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

I really like what the New York Jets have done during the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft, and a big reason for that is them landing Omar Cooper Jr. in the first round, taking him at pick 30.

To me, Cooper was one of the best offensive players in the country a season ago, if not the most impressive wide receiver at times.

I keep bringing it up, but it's very important to remember that when Indiana struggled offensively last season, he was often the one who could bail out Indiana and Fernando Mendoza.

However, some question whether the Jets gave up too much to get him, and in a sense, it's not unfair.

“Biggest question: Did the Jets give up too much to get Cooper? They traded up three spots, giving a second-round pick (33) and a fifth-rounder (179) to the 49ers to move up three spots.

“That second-round pick was valuable because, at the top of the round, it would've attracted suitors for a potential trade. The Jets didn't want to take a chance on losing Cooper to someone else, and they also wanted that fifth-year option for a first-rounder. That's why they moved up, giving them a three-player haul in the first round,” Rich Cimini of ESPN wrote.

While moving two draft picks in the process could be viewed as a questionable thing, I don't think moving up from the 179th pick is that big of a problem here. Cooper is a lot better than anybody they would have been able to take at 179, so this was the right play from the Jets' perspective.

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