Jets rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has changed from his No. 83 jersey and will be wearing No. 11 when he is expected to make his NFL regular-season debut on Sunday in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.
Cooper decided to grab a piece of his past – he sported the No. 11 jersey during his high school days at Lawrence North in Indianapolis.
"That number was available," Cooper said. "Well, actually Blake Grupe [the recently signed place-kicker, now No. 4] allowed me to switch it. So grateful to him for allowing me to switch it up."
Cooper (6-0, 199) was the Jets' third first-round selection at No. 30 overall, in April's NFL Draft after the Jets traded No. 33 (the top pick in Round 2) and No. 179 to the San Francisco 49ers to move back into the first round. In the Hoosiers' surprising march to the national title, Cooper, who wore No. 3 on his back, had 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 TDs. Overall, in his college career -- all 42 games at Indiana -- Cooper had 115 catches for 1,798 yards (15.6 per) and 22 TDs.
Now, after a few practice sessions back in his high school number, Cooper said: "I feel great. I didn't want a number to just say who I was as a player, but just saying, just having that number back to what I had in high school, it felt amazing."
In making the switch to No. 11, Cooper joins a group of former Jets to wear the shirt that includes WRs Robby Anderson, Jeremy Kerley and Denzel Mims.
Cooper played in the Jets' first two preseason games and provided a glimpse of his potential in the Green & White's victory over Tampa Bay on Aug. 14 when he caught a pair of passes for 31 yards, which included a nifty 26-yard reception from QB Bailey Zappe.
The rookie is among a strong group of Jets wide receivers, which includes Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams, Tim Patrick and Arian Smith. Cooper flashed during the preseason and training camp practices, but he constantly expects more from himself.
"It wasn't my best," he said. "I feel like I got a lot better though. But just being with guys like G [Wilson] and AD [Mitchell], and then Isaiah Williams and Tim Patrick, they all helped me become just a better receiver all around."
The ball won't always go to Cooper, and he understands that's "the nature of football."
"That's the best thing about it; it helps you stay humble," Cooper said. "You could win every route and maybe you're not designed to get the ball, or maybe your quarterback sees something and throws somewhere else. But it just helps you to know that there's still more games, the league is 20 minimum counting preseason."
And Sunday will be Cooper's first wearing Green & White and his first in No. 11 in quite some time.
