Drafted by: Philadelphia Eagles
Height: 6’0 ½”
Weight: 203
Arm Length: 31 ⅛
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Pros
- Phenomenal closing speed.
- Great acceleration out of coverage to make a play on the ball.
- Very good ball skills.
- Great eyes when he drops in zone coverage.
- Athleticism, speed, and vision make him a lethal special teams returner.
- Good tackler.
Cons
- Injury sidelined him for most of the 2023 season.
- Could experience difficulty in the NFL when in press coverage.
- Can be a bit too handsy at the tops of routes.
- Wasn’t exactly challenged with the receivers he consistently played.
Notes
- Unanimous consensus All-American in 2023.
- First-team All-Big Ten in 2022 and 2023.
- Set the Iowa single-season record for pick-sixes in a season (3).
Overview
One of the best cornerbacks in college football over the past few years, Cooper DeJean has been the shining light in the darkness of Iowa football. While he was sidelined with injury throughout the 2023 season, he’s still shown more than enough to be a first-round pick.
For starters, DeJean is a tremendous athlete with phenomenal speed. It’s because of this speed, that DeJean’s able to stick with great wideouts and get back into phase should he fall behind. From this, DeJean displays good ball skills, in both man and zone coverage. However, the zone is probably where he excels best. DeJean plays with a smooth backpedal and very good eyes that simultaneously read QBs and route combinations well. From this, he quickly accelerates out of his zone to make plays on the football. It’s this combination of speed, athleticism, and vision that also made Cooper DeJean such a lethal return man for the Hawkeyes.
However, DeJean only played a number of games this season due to his fracturing his right fibula. While it’s definitely not the worst of injuries, it’s bad enough to ask whether he’ll be the same athlete when he returns. After all, his game is almost reliant on how good of an athlete he is. Even if he was healthy going into this draft season, it isn’t crazy to believe that he could experience difficulty against NFL WRs. But not because he’d be a rookie going against grown men. Rather, because his hips are on the tighter side and given how handsy he is at the top of routes. Furthermore, he wasn’t exactly challenged from week to week by the receivers on his side of the Big Ten.
Even if DeJean experiences trouble on the outside, he’s still a dangerous return man who could be moved to safety given his ball skills. While it’d be preferred that he remains a CB, sometimes you need to roll with the punches.
My Two Cents
I believe that Cooper DeJean is a top-5 CB in this year’s draft. Do I think he’s top 3 like how some are ranking him? No, but once you consider his versatility as a return man, it’s difficult to pass up his talents. Given this combination, I wouldn’t expect DeJean to fall out of the first round.
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