As the San Francisco 49ers enter the 2026 NFL Draft, adding some premier talent to their wide receiver room will be amongst their top priorities. Luckily for the 49ers, the 2026 class features plenty of eye-catching pass catchers.
Among them is Omar Cooper Jr. The Indiana receiver recently received a comparison to former 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel by his former quarterback Francisco Mendoza, via Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
“The body control he has is crazy,” Mendoza said. “He’s like a prime Deebo Samuel. … He has great body control, great hands, can play any position on the field. To have him as a receiver that can be a gadget guy, can also take it deep, and also great routes and hands, especially for the quarterback, he helped make me this year.”
Barrows and Tafur went on to make another comparison, one 49ers fans will be well aware of. Based on his size and athleticism, Cooper could look a lot like Brandon Aiyuk on the field.
“Given his similar stature, his smoothness in getting open underneath and his eagerness to run block, the 6-foot, 199-pound Cooper might also remind some of soon-to-be former 49er Brandon Aiyuk,” the insiders wrote. “Cooper ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the combine, just a hair quicker than Aiyuk’s 4.5 in 2020.”
Over his four years at Indiana, Cooper caught 115 passes for 1,798 yards and 13 touchdowns. During the Hoosiers' national championship run in 2025, the receiver made 69 grabs for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cooper earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts.
Holding the No. 27 pick in the draft, San Francisco will have their eyes on any of the top wide receivers that remain available. If Cooper really is a hybrid of Samuel and Aiyuk, then the 49ers may not be able to resist putting his name on their draft card. They'll just hope he works out a bit more long-term.
