The Jets needed immediate help this offseason, and their first-round receiver is already giving them a reason to feel better about the direction of the offense.
Omar Cooper Jr. has been the standout rookie in New York’s spring work, and ESPN’s Rich Cimini says the No. 30 overall pick has essentially locked himself into the team’s three-receiver package. That’s a strong early return for a player the Jets traded back into the first round to get.
"Cooper was their most impressive rookie in the spring, all but solidifying a spot in the three-receiver package," Cimini writes. "... Because of his physical style and run-after-catch ability, he should be even better when the pads go on in training camp."
That last part is the intriguing one for New York. Cooper has already shown enough to stand out before camp even starts, but the Jets believe there’s more coming once the contact picks up later this summer.
Cimini also described him this way: "He's a smooth route runner who adjusted nicely to an NFL-style offense."
That kind of report is exactly what the Jets wanted after using the No. 30 pick on the former Indiana wideout. New York was hoping Cooper could grow into a starting-caliber option right away, and the early signs point in that direction.
Cooper enters the league after a huge season for the National Champions, finishing with 13 touchdowns, 937 yards and 69 catches. That production helped make him one of the draft’s fastest risers, and the Jets clearly saw enough to make him part of their immediate plan.
For now, Cooper has done everything asked of him. If his best traits show up even more once training camp begins, the Jets may have found exactly what they were looking for.
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Jets Fans May Not Like Where This Young Pass Rusher Stands
Tyler Baron entered the Jets offseason as one of the younger pass rushers trying to carve out a role, with the former fifth-round pick still early in his career and still carrying the promise that comes with it. He flashed enough last season to get on the field in six games and finish with nine tackles before a knee injury cut his year short, leaving the team with an incomplete evaluation as camp gets underway.
Baron now finds himself in a crowded fight for survival, the kind that can shift quickly over the next few weeks of practices and preseason snaps. He still has a chance to make his case, whether that means forcing his way onto the opening roster or making himself appealing enough that another team wants a look if the Jets move on. [Read more 🡒]