Round 1, No. 30 Overall: Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. (6-0, 199)
According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper Jr. forced 27 missed tackles last season, tied for the fourth-most in the nation. His 13 receiving touchdowns were tied for the third-most in the FBS, and the second-most among all Power Four receivers behind only teammate Elijah Sarratt. Indiana went 16-0 and captured a national championship but its unblemished dreams would have probably ended without Cooper’s acrobatic game-winning TD catch to complete an improbable 27-24 victory at Penn State on Nov. 8.

DM: “Omar Cooper was a guy that we had good grades. When we saw him there towards the end [of Round 1], an opportunity to give up a comp fifth, Pick 179, to get back up and get the fifth-year option and just make sure we got our guy — we felt really good about. Again, to add another weapon, a guy that’s got RACs, strong hands, can insert block, has a little versatility to play inside and outside.”

AG: “When you talk about Omar, you’re talking about a tough, competitive player. Once the ball gets in his hands, he does a really good job of breaking tackles and creating extra yardage. Man, he is legit when it comes to catching the ball. We all saw a play he made against Penn State, again a critical play at a critical time for one of those players.”

Round 2, No. 50 Overall: Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds (5-8, 182)
The Jets had 6-7 players they liked in Round 2 when they moved down from 44 to 50 in a pick swap with Detroit. D’Angelo Ponds was one of those players and some pundits saw Aaron Glenn when they evaluated the fast, scrappy and opportunistic former Hoosier. Ponds, who played at James Madison in 2023 and then followed HC Curt Cignetti to Bloomington, started 15 games last season and collected 61 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INTs (1 returned for a TD), a FF and a blocked kick.

DM: “We asked wide receivers that we interviewed, whether it’s combine, all-star games, guys we bring in for visits, we often ask them like, ‘Who’s the best corner you go against?’ Numerous guys, if they faced Ponds, all of them [said] Ponds. He’s just been a productive football player despite the size limitations. He finds ways to get stops, he covers guys, he’s one of the better tacklers in this draft, regardless of position.”

AG: “He is a tough guy. The thing is — you can’t judge the heart. That’s one thing that, when you start to talk to guys, you start to see guys play, you start to understand what the heart is about. I know he’s a shorter corner, but again, his play speaks for itself.”