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Omar Cooper Jr., the Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver turned first-round pick, is in the midst of his first NFL training camp. After helping Indiana claim its first National Championship in school history, the young slot receiver became the 30th overall pick in the NFL Draft when the New York Jets selected him. Analysts praised the pick from general manager Darren Mougey. Many believed Omar Cooper Jr. would be a perfect fit, joining star Garrett Wilson and three-year veteran Adonai Mitchell to help propel New York’s wide receiver room to new heights. However, fans have begun voicing concerns about Omar Cooper Jr’s rookie season. During training camp, Cooper Jr. has been losing first-team snaps to 2025 team MVP and kick return specialist Isaiah Williams. After signing with the Jets from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, the former Detroit Lions undrafted free agent became a valuable piece of special teams coordinator Chris Banjo’s unit. Understandably, seeing a return specialist have more reps than a first-round pick rookie has drawn confusion. But in the big picture, Omar Cooper Jr.’s development should be on track. First-round WR Omar Cooper Jr is with the second-team offense, confirming what we've seen in camp. Isaiah Williams has leapfrogged him as WR3. Williams is having a terrific camp. #Jets — Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 14, 2026 Jets Going Slow With Omar Cooper Jr. and That’s Okay After finishing with the worst passing yards per game of any team in the league, the New York Jets entered the offseason with one clear goal: adapting the passing game. Especially if head coach Aaron Glenn wants to get away from the hot seat heading into 2027. As a result, the offseason brought some major changes. Longtime coach Frank Reich returns to the NFL after a three-year absence to become the new offensive coordinator. In addition, the team moved on from Justin Fields to reunite with former starting quarterback Geno Smith after acquiring him from the Las Vegas Raiders. While it was a good start, the team still needed to nail the NFL Draft by acquiring some playmakers for Smith to throw the ball to. As a result, after selecting Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey with the second overall pick, general manager Darren Mougey got to work during the draft. First, Mougey selected arguably the best tight end prospect in the class by taking Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon with the 16th overall pick. After lining up all over the field throughout his last two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, Sadiq is far more versatile than a traditional tight end. But Sadiq wasn’t the only offensive weapon the Jets left the first round with. Mougey traded up from the 33rd overall pick in a package to acquire the 30th overall pick from the San Francisco 49ers. After the transaction was completed, New York used the 30th overall pick to draft Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. During the Hoosiers’ National Championship season, Cooper Jr became a favorite pick for Heisman Winner and future first overall pick for the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Cooper Jr. finished his redshirt junior season with 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on 69 catches. Isaiah Williams continues to impress, but Omar Cooper Jr will still help the Jets this season Entering training camp, Omar Cooper Jr. was projected to be the third starting wide receiver for the New York Jets. However, as time went on, Cooper Jr. has been getting a majority of his snaps with the second-team unit. With Cooper Jr. working primarily working along with the backups, the Jets have been utilizing Isaiah Williams in the slot with the first-team offense. Understandably, fans were confused to see a returner like Williams getting more first-team snaps compared to the rookie first-round pick. In fact, during the New York Jets preseason opener vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Isaiah Williams was out with Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell among the starting offense. However, while Isaiah Williams has the early advantage, fans should curb their concerns for the 30th overall pick. While Omar Cooper Jr. is sitting behind Williams in the depth chart, it’s not for a lack of effort or skill. Isaiah Williams is in his third season in the league and has worked tirelessly to improve. The former Illinois Illini quarterback converted to wide receiver in college after losing the starting spot to former Michigan quarterback Brendon Peters. At wide receiver, Williams was very efficient, ending his college career with 214 catches for 2,304 yards and 14 touchdown receptions. The young journeyman took advantage of the lack of wide receiver depth at the time to earn offensive snaps at the end of last season. Over the last five games of the season, Williams had 23 catches on 26 targets for 156 yards. Williams made the most of his opportunity, but Williams’s improvements won’t hinder Omar Cooper Jr.’s development. Wide receivers take time to develop, and Omar Cooper Jr is no exception While fans are concerned that Omar Cooper Jr. is behind Isaiah Williams on the depth chart, this isn’t an omen for a lost season for the rookie. The New York Jets have a lot riding on this season. While the opportunity to contend for a playoff berth is likely to move on to year 16 of the playoff drought, there needs to be sustained growth this season. Anything close to last season likely means Darren Mougey will start 2027 searching for a replacement for Aaron Glenn. Not only that, but it can also cost them another coveted rookie quarterback who didn’t develop properly. Entering the 2027 NFL Draft, the Jets will have three first-round picks. This gives them plenty of draft capital to draft a quarterback early. With an opportunity to select someone like Arch Manning out of Texas, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, or a potential sleeper who can rise through the draft board, the Jets can’t leave any stone unturned. Which is why Williams’ involvement in the offense isn’t surprising. Entering restricted free agency after the season, this is the last shot New York can analyze Williams long term impact before he enters the market. They are doing their due diligence to see if Williams has the upside to be a regular contributor on offense after showcasing his potential as a return specialist. It might not be in Week 1, but Omar Cooper Jr will get every chance to showcase his potential. Cooper Jr. isn’t the first top-30 draft pick to lose out on early starting reps. After all, it was six years ago that Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson was losing snaps to Bisi Johnson during his first training camp. That’s not to say Cooper Jr. will become a top wide receiver in the league like Jefferson. But rather to show that a lot can change before January comes around. For now, it’s important to remain patient and keep believing in Omar Cooper Jr.’s potential. More NFL News: NFL Rumors: Saints, Giants Linked in Massive $1.3M Trade Before Week 1 Green Bay Packers: Preseason Week 2’s What to Watch For NFL Rumors: Steelers Connected in Massive $30M Trade Main Photo: [Vincent Carchietta] -Reuters Connect