According to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, the Carolina Panthers are bringing in Omar Cooper Jr. for a visit. He also added that general manager Dan Morgan and his staff have “done a lot of work on receivers” in recent weeks.
That nugget becomes a lot more interesting when you line it up with what head coach Dave Canales said at the annual league meeting about the No. 19 pick.
“At this point, with the 19th pick, we really have an opportunity to bring a player in that can help us immediately… We want to take the best available player. That’s what we did last year.”
Where there is smoke, there is typically fire.
Omar Cooper Jr. visit makes Carolina Panthers' unthinkable draft move more real
Canales mentioned three positions that could make sense there: wide receiver, tight end, and safety. Most of the draft buzz around Carolina has focused on Oregon prospect Kenyon Sadiq and his former teammate, defensive back Dillon Thieneman.
But the Panthers just scheduled an in-person visit with a rising first-round wideout. That’s not accidental.
The Panthers traded up for Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall in 2024. They doubled down with Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 last year, and he went on to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Now they’re doing heavy homework on another first-round caliber receiver.
If the Panthers take a wideout at No. 19, they would become the first team since the Detroit Lions (2003-2005) to draft a receiver in the first round three straight years.
Cooper's profile is fascinating. He secured 69 catches for 937 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns during Indiana's dominant national championship campaign. The wideout accumulated 21.9 yards per catch in 2024. He has inside-outside versatility with 4.42-second speed in the 40-yard dash, elite ball skills, is a violent after-the-catch player, and is a willing blocker.
Scouts love his film because it's so translatable. Cooper wins at the catch point. He creates after the catch. He processes space quickly with the ball in his hands. That last part matters for an offense built on spacing, timing, and letting receivers do damage after the catch.
But here’s the thing: Cooper’s production profile scares analytics departments. He didn’t truly break out until his senior year. He was primarily a slot receiver during that breakout. He lacks the ideal length for an outside NFL receiver.
He’s viewed as a fringe first-rounder, which is exactly the type of prospect teams bring in for visits when they’re seriously considering pulling the trigger. Especially teams trying to figure out how they’d use him.
After this visit, a wide receiver at No. 19 might be more likely than people think.