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Cooper DeJean will succeed in the NFL, regardless of where he lines up

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Cooper DeJean enters the NFL with a versatile skill set after shining for Iowa’s secondary, yet it remains unclear how the Philadelphia Eagles plan to use that skill set. However, it’s clear he’s a budding star to hear general manager Howie Roseman describe the former Hawkeye.

In a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Roseman was asked about Philadelphia jumping up in the 2nd round to grab DeJean. The Eagles used their 1st-round pick on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, but they did not sit back when DeJean dropped to the 40th overall pick.

Ultimately, DeJean represented a player the Eagles needed to be aggressive in acquiring said Roseman. The GM Described the defensive back as an elite athlete and playmaker with exceptional instincts.

“Cooper’s a playmaker. At the end of the day… any sort of instincts are huge in whatever you do, and he has elite instincts,” described Roseman. “He has a nose for the ball, you’ve seen him do it in clutch moments. Obviously you saw what happened in that Minnesota game.”

“For us, certainly we don’t know what anyone else is going to do, but it was important for us to try and get this guy,” said Roseman about trading in front of the Green Bay Packers. “We thought this guy was a culture guy, we thought this guy had a chance to be an elite player in this league.”

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DeJean is certainly a budding star for the Eagles, but it’s unclear if he fits into the cornerback rotation. Along with the Eagles drafting Mitchell in the 1st round, the team also has a pair of veterans in Darius Slay and James Bradberry on the roster(barring any roster decisions ahead of training camp), and a pair of rookies (Eli Ricks and Kelee Ringo) saw playing time in 2023.

Still, putting DeJean at safety could be the right move all along for his career. If his instincts are as good as Roseman feels (and they are), DeJean could fit the bill as a prototypical piece on the backend of the defense.

With 7 career interceptions (and 3 pick-6s in 2022), DeJean knows how to get to the football and make plays when he gets it. Position doesn’t matter, and DeJean will soon be a star for the Eagles defense at the next level.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.