The 2026 NFL Draft continued Miami’s strong showing in the 2026 NFL Draft.  OG Anez Cooper was taken with the 188th overall pick in the sixth round of the draft by the New York Jets.  Cooper becomes the third Canes offensive lineman for this draft (Francis Mauigoa/Giants and Markel Bell/Eagles) and joins his former teammates Kiko Mauigoa and Tyler Baron with the Jets who were both selected last season.

NEW MEMBER IN THE TRENCHEZ 😤📰: https://t.co/wMWRmSW38e pic.twitter.com/D8Q8t6rXMp

Cooper is one of the most underappreciated figures in the history of Mario Cristobal’s Miami rebuild joining the program in 2022 as a three-star recruit.  While Francis Mauigoa was drawing top-10 comparisons and All-American honors next to him, Cooper was quietly starting beside him, year after year, earning back-to-back All-ACC Honorable Mention recognition, followed by second team All-ACC, and serving as the enforcer of one of the most physical offensive lines in the country.

At 6’5″ and 342 pounds with 34 1/8-inch arms and an 89-inch wingspan, his physical tools are genuinely elite for an interior lineman and he could serve as a future reliable starter.  He is not the flashiest pick but every team in the league needs interior linemen who can anchor a run game and hold up in pass protection for four-to-six years on a rookie deal, and Cooper is exactly that profile. He arrives in the NFL having played alongside one of the best tackles in this draft class for three seasons.  That’s an education money can’t buy.

Congrats, Anez, and continue your growth with the New York Jets.