The Buffalo Bills are undergoing some major changes after falling short in the playoff yet again last season. Despite coming into the postseason hot in a wide open AFC, Buffalo couldn’t get past the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round, coming up small again in the biggest game of the season.
That loss prompted the Bills to fire head coach Sean McDermott and replace him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady and Josh Allen have worked well together over the years, so the move didn’t come as a huge shock.
While the duo of Brady and Allen should be enough to keep the Bills’ offense near the top of the league, the MVP quarterback needs more weapons around him for that unit to reach its full potential. Buffalo had one of the worst pass-catching groups in football last season, which was a big reason it was bounced from the postseason.
While the Bills won’t be picking high enough to get their hands on the likes of Carnell Tate or even Makai Lemon in this draft, there are still a number of quality options late in the first round. Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has been a late riser during this draft process and would be a great fit in Buffalo. Here are a few reasons why the Bills should be all-in on Cooper in the first round.
Cooper can play anywhere, making him a good fit with Khalil Shakir
For much of the year, Cooper was viewed mostly as a slot prospect who will do much of his damage in the NFL on the inside. After all, that was his primary role at Indiana with Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker on the outside.
While Cooper may be more experienced out of the slot, he has the skillset to play anywhere on the field. This will be especially important if he does end up in Buffalo, which has an established slot already in Khalil Shakir.
Cooper isn’t the biggest guy, listed at just 6-foot-0 and 199 pounds, but he is a physical beast who is strong working against press. He has shown flashes of ability to be great at the catch point, which would make him a solid option on the outside for the Bills. Josh Allen has been missing a go-to receiver ever since Stefon Diggs left town, but Cooper can be exactly what he’s been looking for.
Cooper is a great YAC option
Arguably Cooper’s best trait is what he does after the catch. He is one of the fastest receivers in the draft, running a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February. All year across Indiana’s tape, you’ll find Cooper reeling in a ball in stride and outrunning the defense for a big gain or a touchdown, something that the Bills could desperately use in their pass-catching room.
But Cooper’s ability to make plays comes down to more than just speed. Despite his aforementioned size limitations, Cooper is a very strong runner who can run through arm tackles and shed defenders at the second and third levels. This makes him a very intriguing option as a screen target or underneath as someone who can take a short pass and turn it into a big play. That’s something the Bills have been missing in recent years, and Cooper would address that need.
Joe Brady can be creative with Cooper in Buffalo’s offense
Given the fact that Cooper is such a weapon with the ball in his hands, Joe Brady can get creative with the way he uses him in Buffalo’s offense. Some have compared Cooper to a Deebo Samuel-type coming out of Indiana, and while Samuel was a physical anomaly at his size, there is a bit of similarity in the way Cooper plays compared to the former 49ers Swiss Army knife.
While Allen is arguably the most dynamic player in the NFL and will always give the Bills an element of explosiveness within their offense, there are times in recent years where the Buffalo offense has gotten a bit stale and relied too heavily on Allen and the drop back passing game in the biggest games of the season. The emergence of James Cook and the running game has helped alleviate some of that, but getting someone like Cooper to lift that burden even more would be a home run pick.
Adding someone like Cooper into the Bills offense has the chance to take them from one of the best offenses in the league to the king of unit that can carry a team on a Super Bowl run. If he is still on the board late in the first round, the Bills have to be all-in for someone who has proven he can contribute to a championship team in a number of ways.
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