Many analysts expect the San Francisco 49ers to draft a wide receiver with their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft next month. One draft prospect to whom they have been linked, Omar Cooper Jr. out of Indiana, has been compared to two polarizing former Niners.
Cooper has been compared to both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The prospect is similar in size to both players but also is a supreme route runner and is not afraid to block in the run game, which has to be music to the ears of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Cooper's quarterback at Indiana last season, Fernando Mendoza who is widely expected to go as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, compared his wide receiver to Deebo, saying, "He’s like a prime Deebo Samuel… He has great body control, great hands, can play any position on the field."
If someone was trying to bait the Niners into selecting Cooper, this seems like the perfect way to do it: get people to compare him to two of the more successful 49ers wide receivers in recent memory.
Of course, both guys are now polarizing among fans because of how things ended in San Francisco. Samuel declined on the field for years before the Niners decided to trade him to the Washington Commanders last offseason. The two sides amicably parted on good terms, but some fans still resent the way he demanded a new contract after a huge 2021 season and then never lived up to it.
Learning from Samuel, Aiyuk decided to play hardball a few years later and got himself a new contract after a ton of drama and acrimony. Things didn't get much better in the wake of the deal after Shanahan and Aiyuk had a public tiff over the color of shorts Aiyuk wore at practice, and then Aiyuk got off to a slow start before suffering a major knee injury, which ended his season and ultimately ended his 49ers career.
The Niners voided the money in Aiyuk's contract after his refusal to cooperate with the team on his rehab, and now the expectation is he will be released by the team.
NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco has the 49ers selecting Cooper in the first round in his latest mock draft, writing, "Cooper is a darn-near perfect fit with his route-running, body control and temperament."
If they do select him, hopefully Cooper plays just like Samuel and Aiyuk at their respective peaks without any of the drama.