BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is entering April’s NFL draft, he announced Monday on social media.
In the six-paragraph post, Cooper thanked his family, coaches and teammates among others for their help and support during his four-year journey from Indianapolis prep star through two losing seasons at Indiana before becoming both a national champion and a Big Ten Conference champion.
“Growing up in Indianapolis, I’m proud to represent my city and my state. These last four years in Bloomington have meant everything to me, " he wrote, addressing Hoosiers fans. “This program pushed me, shaped me and gave me memories I’ll carry forever. With gratitude for this journey and faith in what lies ahead, I am declaring for the 2026 NFL draft.”
Cooper’s announcement comes one week after the Hoosiers beat Miami to win their first national title and become the first major college football team to go 16-0 since the 1890s. He was originally recruited by Tom Allen and stuck around when Indiana made the coaching change that resulted in the hiring of Curt Cignetti.
This season, Cooper led the Hoosiers in receptions (69) and yards receiving (937) and finished second on the team and tied for third in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 13 touchdown catches. But he is perhaps best known for his incredible leap and acrobatic toe tap to deliver the decisive 7-yard TD catch with 36 seconds left against Penn State to keep Indiana’s perfect season intact.
He started emerging as a big-play threat during the 2024 season, when he finished with 28 catches for 594 yards and seven scores after catching 18 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in 2023. Cooper did not record any stats in 2022.
He also had five carries for 97 yards and ran for two TDs — all in the last two seasons.
Cooper, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza and All-American cornerback D’Angelo Ponds each have declared for the draft. Several other players including Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year Carter Smith have announced they will return to defend their national title.
The playoffs are almost over, which means the 2026 NFL draft order is almost complete. Here’s how the draft order looks heading into the Super Bowl:
1. Raiders
2. Jets
3. Cardinals
4. Titans
5. Giants
6. Browns
7. Commanders
8. Saints
9. Chiefs
10. Bengals
11. Dolphins
12. Cowboys
13. Falcons (traded first-round pick to Rams)
14. Ravens
15. Buccaneers
16. Colts (traded first-round pick to Jets)
17. Lions
18. Vikings
19. Panthers
20. Packers (traded first-round pick to Cowboys)
21. Steelers
22. Chargers
23. Eagles
24. Jaguars (traded first-round pick to Browns)
25. Bears
26. Bills
27. 49ers
28. Texans
29. Rams
30. Broncos
SUBJECT TO SUPER BOWL RESULTS
31. Patriots
32. Seahawks
Who has the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The Las Vegas Raiders earned the first overall pick by having with the easiest schedule of the four teams that finished tied with the worst record in the NFL, 3-14.
What are the tiebreakers for NFL Draft picks?
Draft picks are awarded in order of lowest winning percentage, and the tiebreaker is opponents’ winning percentage, with the team that played the easiest schedule picking first. If two teams have the same record and same strength of schedule, division or conference tiebreakers are applied. If the divisional or conference tiebreakers are not applicable, or ties still exist between teams of different conferences, ties will be broken the following tie-breaking method:
- Head-to-head, if applicable
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory in all games
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- Coin toss
The 18 non-playoff teams get the first 18 picks. The six wild card round playoff losers get picks 19-24, the four divisional round losers get picks 25-28, the conference championship game losers get picks 29 and 30, the Super Bowl loser gets pick 31 and the Super Bowl winner gets pick 32.
When is the 2026 NFL Draft?
The 2026 NFL draft takes place April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. The first round will be on Thursday night, the second and third rounds will be on Friday night, and the fourth through seventh rounds will be on Saturday.
Who is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the betting favorite to go first overall. Other contenders include Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Miami defensive end Rueben Bain, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is turning pro.
Simpson informed the Alabama program today that he will enter the 2026 NFL draft, according to multiple reports.
The 23-year-old Simpson spent four years at Alabama but played only sparingly in his first three before becoming the starter in 2025. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes, with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions, in a season that ended in a blowout loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff.
At one point during the season, Simpson was the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. More recently, his stock has fallen in the eyes of most observers, and he’s now considered a step below Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. But Simpson is a talented passer, and now he’ll hope NFL teams evaluate him as a first-round talent.
Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is declaring for the 2026 NFL draft, Pete Thamel of ESPN reports.
Tate is projected as a top-10 pick after 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons with the Buckeyes.
He played only 11 games in 2025, missing three games with an injury, and still caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns.
In four consecutive NFL drafts, the Buckeyes have had at least one first-round wide receiver. Tate is expected to make it five consecutive years, following Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave (2022), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023), Marvin Harrison Jr. (2024) and Emeka Egbuka.
Kadyn Proctor has made up his mind about the 2026 NFL Draft.
Alabama’s left tackle announced that he will be making the jump to the NFL this year in an Instagram post.
Proctor took over as a starter as a freshman during Nick Saban’s final season on the sideline in Tuscaloosa. He announced that he was transferring to Iowa after Saban left the program, but wound up returning and playing the last two seasons under Kalen DeBoer. Proctor was an All-SEC selection for the 2025 season.
Proctor’s size — 6'7" and 366 pounds — is one of the reasons he’s considered a potential first-round pick and his work on the pre-draft circuit will help determine just how early he comes off the board in April.
One of the nation’s top receivers has announced he’ll be entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
Georgia wideout Zachariah Branch shared his plans on Monday. Georgia was eliminated from the playoffs in a 39-34 loss to Ole Miss last week.
Branch transferred from USC to Georgia for the 2025 season and posted 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns with the Bulldogs. He had 78 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns in his two seasons at USC.
Branch joins the likes of Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate, Denzel Boston, and his former USC teammate Makai Lemon at the top of the list of prospects at wideout this year.
Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion and cornerback Will Lee III have declared for the 2026 NFL draft.
Concepcion won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He was second in all of Division I football with 460 punt return yards in the regular season. His 12 total touchdowns rank fourth among all receivers in the nation as he scored rushing, receiving and punt return touchdowns.
Concepcion led the Aggies with 61 catches for 919 yards.
He played two seasons at North Carolina State before transferring to A&M. He finished his college career with 185 catches for 2,218 yards and 25 touchdowns, while adding 431 rushing yards on 70 carries for three scores.
Lee finished the 2025 season with 50 tackles and eight pass breakups.
He played at Kansas State before transferring to College Station, where he played his final two seasons. He finishes his college career with 134 tackles, 24 pass deflections, four interceptions, one sack and two forced fumbles.
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos declared for the 2026 NFL draft on Tuesday.
The NCAA denied Castellanos another year of eligibility, and he was in the process of appealing in hopes of a fifth college season. Castellanos, though, said in a social media post that he is “excited to announce that I will be declaring for the 2026 NFL draft.”
Castellanos completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,760 yards this season with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also led the Seminoles with 557 rushing yards and nine scores.
Castellanos played one season at Florida State after two at Boston College and one at UCF.
In his career, Castellanos passed for 6,449 yards with 48 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He rushed for 1,984 yards and 24 scores.
Castellanos is 16-17 as a starter, including 5–7 with the Seminoles.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love declared for the 2026 NFL draft on Tuesday.
He announced his decision on social media.
“Those who know me best know I’m very direct,” Love wrote, “so I am going to get straight to the point and share that I have made the decision to declare for the NFL draft. I know I am prepared for this moment, because of the amazing people I have in my life and I want to thank them now.”
Love was a Heisman finalist, finishing third behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Love won the Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back in college football.
He scored 21 all-purpose touchdowns, passing Jerome Bettis (1991) for the most in a season in Notre Dame history. The junior also ended the regular season fourth nationally with 1,372 rushing yards and third with 18 rushing touchdowns, while averaging 6.89 yards per carry.
Safety Kamari Ramsey has made a decision about his plans for the 2026 season.
Ramsey announced on social media on Monday that he will be foregoing his remaining collegiate eligibility and will be entering the NFL Draft.
Ramsey has spent the last four years playing football in Los Angeles, but he switched schools midway through that run. He played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to USC for the last two years.
Ramsey missed three games during the 2025 season and finished the year with 27 tackles. He had 133 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries over his time at both schools.
