April 27, 2024
Cooper DeJean proved a defensive back capable of moving between positions in college, and seems to fully expect to in the NFL now that he's an Eagle.
The Eagles, in fact, have already talked to him about the prospect.
The 21-year old Iowa product, who Philadelphia traded up to take at No. 40 overall in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night, shifted between outside corner, slot corner, and safety within the Hawkeyes' defense.
And so long as that rotation keeps giving him a shot to get out there, he's more than willing to keep committing to it as a pro.
"They talked to me about all three positions," DeJean said of his pre-draft visit and conversations with the Eagles after he was picked. "I don't have a preference. I'm a football player, so put me on the field and I'll go play football – whether it's inside, outside, at safety, wherever it is. This is a game I love to play. As long as I'm on the field, out there, I'll be happy, and I'm gonna give it my all every time I step on the field."
And if his talent can translate, then that all could be setting the Eagles up with the deepest defensive backfield they've had in quite some time.
Or that at least seems to be what they're aiming for.
After landing Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick in the first round the night before – a move that's been near-universally praised and hated for all the right reasons by the Cowboys' Micah Parsons – the trade-up and selection of a second straight DB in DeJean marked a concerted effort by the Eagles to try and bolster their secondary for the near- and long-term, even though they've been an organization that's become notorious of late for using the early rounds to continuously build through the trenches.
There are exceptions for everything, though, and between Mitchell and DeJean falling within their reach, this week was as good of a time as any for the Eagles to make one.
"I think when you talk about corners, O-linemen, D-linemen, you can never have enough of those guys," general manager Howie Roseman said on Thursday night after the Eagles made the pick for Mitchell. "I mean, just through the course of the season, having guys who can cover people, so important, and obviously, we've been in a position over the past few years where we haven't had enough of those guys – whether that's through injury or just kinda running out of guys toward the end of the season."
So time to stock up.
DeJean's versatility within the defensive backfield is the product of speed, instinct, and a whole lot of athleticism.
In 23 games across the 2022 and 2023 collegiate seasons at Iowa, DeJean racked up seven interceptions (three of them returned for touchdowns in 2022) and 82 solo tackles, all while taking up punt-returning duties on special teams, too – and doing so at a rate of 13.1 yards per return.
He put himself in the right place at the right time with a lot of regularity, and credited his cycling through DB positions at Iowa with helping him both see and understand the game better, which he believes can play to the Eagles' benefit now.
"I think it's a great thing being able to play multiple positions," DeJean said. "Being able to impact the game from different spots– outside, inside, in the deep middle, wherever it is. I think it's a good thing for any team to have a guy that's versatile and play multiple positions, be able to move around a little bit wherever is needed, be able to plug in wherever if there's an injury or whatever happens, just being the guy to plug in and play.
"Obviously there's a lot to learn. I gotta get the defense down first, just to be able to play all three positions, but I'm excited to get in there, learn from the coaches, and learn from the vets there."
Which hopefully goes on to give the Eagles' defense and new coordinator Vic Fangio that much more to work with in terms of options among a projected backfield of DeJean, Mitchell, Darius Slay, Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Avonte Maddox, and more – which also depends on Sydney Brown's recovery from a late-season ACL tear last year and wherever the chips might fall for James Bradberry.
A broken leg suffered in November did cut DeJean's last season at Iowa short, and likely hurt his draft stock in the months that followed, too, as he recovered. But he said Friday night that he's fully good to go again, and that "If there's a game to play today, I'd be ready to go."
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