Omar Cooper Jr.’s path to postseason recognition may depend on opportunity

Not every rookie enters an NFL season with the same runway. For Omar Cooper Jr., the opportunity is there. So is the spotlight, but the latter may begin to dim some once we reach the latter stages of the coming New York Jets season (and when the conversations shift to postseason honors).

Sure, they're going to love him in Gotham. There's our great nation's largest media market to consider, but there's also the national media and the talent that we'll see prove their mettle in other cities.

We all saw it. The Jets didn’t trade back into the first round to make a quiet selection. Cooper arrives with expectations as the likely No. 2 option at wide receiver behind Garrett Wilson. Unlike many rookies, there isn’t much standing in his way on the depth chart. That’s the good news. The challenge comes from everything else.

We just can't help ourselves. It's only May, and at times, it's hard to avoid the temptation to look ahead to January. We know what's being said about the Jets now. How might the conversation shift by the time we all reach January?

Prognostication is a part of the deal. Ben Solak recently outlined early Offensive Rookie of the Year projections and placed Cooper in the conversation, albeit among the long shots. The reasoning wasn’t complicated.

"The Jets traded up in the Round 1 to secure Cooper as their every down WR2 behind Garrett Wilson. He has almost no incumbent challenge as targets at receiver, as Adonai Mitchell is the best candidate to steal some of his snaps. However, the tight end duo of Mason Taylor and Kenyon Sadiq, and the presence of running back  do put a damper on his expected volume. Cooper is a tier below players such as Concepcion and Lemon as far as talent goes, and it's hard to see him producing the big games necessary to steal this award from a starting quarterback or productive back."