Panthers Eyeing Cooper in NFL Draft

0:00It's April 21st. Welcome in. This is NFL News Today, where the league meets AI. I'm Cori with the story. The Carolina Panthers are eyeing Oregon's safety, Dylan Thiniman, with their 19th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But folks are doubting he'll still be around that late. So the backup plan points to Indiana Y receiver Omar Cooper Jr. Word from, the Athletics Joe Person has Cooper as the top alternative if Tiamman goes early. He's also floating Oregon tied in Kenyans to Dijk and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano as other fits for Carolina's first round spot. Fans and analysts see this as key to building around quarterback Bryce Young and turning the Panthers into real NFC threats. Adding weapons like these could fast track their offense big time. Cooper balled out with 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns in Indiana's national championship run. For 42 college games, he racked up 1,798 yards in 22 scores way ahead of Sadeek's numbers.

1:04His draft buzz exploded since January, jumping from a third round projection to first round lock with pro-coms to Debo Samuel. Panthers fans keep watching how this shakes out.