Indiana Hoosiers champion Omar Cooper Jr. is slated as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL draft and is projected to go somewhere in the 20s in the first round, but the Indianapolis Colts may be hoping for a different turn of events.
The Colts aren't necessarily expected to go offense in the draft, especially considering their needs on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker and the defensive line. Colts general manager Chris Ballard has yet to replace Zaire Franklin, and the offseason additions he's brought are more depth moves than starting-caliber ones.
That said, the Colts' dire needs on defense don't fully negate what they could do on offense to bolster their weapons system for quarterback Daniel Jones, because after Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, the Colts have little depth at wide receiver, which makes a recent meeting with Cooper all the more interesting.Â
Indianapolis Colts might be hoping that Omar Cooper Jr. falls into the second round for them
The Hoosiers are still celebrating their national championship as a program, but many of its former players are gearing up for the draft, including the standout wideout Cooper. He, alongside many of his now-former Hoosiers teammates, was present at the Colts' local pro day circuit over a week ago, but there may be something more brewing in the background.
Going into next season, the Colts have established Pierce as their No. 1 wide receiver and Tyler Warren as their No. 1 tight end.
Downs, who's next up behind Pierce, is expected to take over the Colts' permanent role as the No. 2. After them, only Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Ashton Dulin (who's used on special teams as well) make up the Colts wideout depth.Â
Even with Downs stepping up, he's unproven as a viable No. 2 option, which means the Colts should consider adding more depth to the position. That is where their pre-draft meeting with Cooper, reported by veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, becomes something more to pay attention to.Â
Clearly, the Colts are seriously considering their options on offense in the draft, not just on defense. However, given the buzz around Cooper and the many teams who have also met with him outside of the Colts, Cooper might need to fall into the second round for Indianapolis to snatch him up, and it's a really late second-round pick at No. 47.Â
It's highly unlikely that Cooper will fall this far, but suppose he does, and he's available when the Colts' time to pick comes around, it's hard to imagine them passing Cooper up, and it may solve their wide receiver depth for several years, if he didn't turn into a bona fide starter in the meantime.Â
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