NFL Draft Profile - Iowa's Cooper DeJean

Iowa has put many defenders in the NFL, but few have had the versatility of DeJean.

Been looking forward to putting the tape on and getting the 200-snap treatment of this defensive back. Part of our goal is to decide his best position because he is both a corner and a safety and that works in today’s NFL, this is Iowa’s Cooper DeJean.

No. 3 - Cooper Dejean - Age 21 - Junior - 6’0 - 203 - Iowa

As you might expect, a guy like DeJean growing up in South Dakota had a very prolific high school sports career. Yes, pitcher, point guard, and Quarterback along with running and winning the 100-meters were no big deal. The big deal was whether he wanted to stay in-state as a 4-star and play QB at South Dakota State or whether he should be a strong defender for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He chose wisely.

2021 - 11 snaps 

2022 - 814 snaps - QB Rating Vs 49.7 - 3 Penalties

2023 - 705 snaps - QB Rating Vs 37.8  - 3 Penalties

We know that DeJean is an exceptional athlete from his tape and his track records, but we cannot confirm testing scores because he broke his leg in a November practice and missed the rest of the year as well as the NFL Combine. We have been told that he will be working out on April 8th for scouts and teams, but we must wait for that to arrive before we know if it happens and what the numbers are.

But, again, there are few concerns about his actual numbers. He is a top athlete.

For this, we did the Purdue, Wisconsin, and Iowa State games from 2023.

This is a very impressive defensive back who’s reputation precedes him. He is confident and plays like it.

He is so versatile and can play corner, slot, safety, in the box, and is an excellent return man. He has great speed and it shows. While Iowa plays a ton of man, there are also plenty of occasions to see him in press man. I would not say it is everywhere on his tape, but when he shows it, he is just fine.

On occasion, he will get beat deep as he is usually in position, but on deeper routes doesn’t always seem to locate the ball at the moment of truth. Not a massive issue, but saw it more than once.

He comes downhill and blows stuff up when he plays in the slot and in the middle of the field and that is where I absolutely like him most. He also goes and gets the ball routinely for Iowa. His ball skills are well above average. He is a play-making DB. 

The return ability is going to be quite useful. In fact, when he picks off a pass, it seems he is more than ready to house it.

He can definitely play corner in the NFL, but I do think you are probably not getting the most out of him if you go down that road. It just seems he is so much more valuable to you if you put him in the middle of the field and allow him to cause chaos. 

Can he play corner in the NFL? I will say that his hips are not as fluid as you look for and that means he sometimes is sort of cheating his turns and that can be exposed at the next level. Also, Iowa is not facing the same types of receivers you see at the next level, so I have concerns as there are large swaths of the game where he plays wide and gets no action.

It just seems that he is a much safer bet as at the star position or even as a box safety. He has great size and Swiss Army-knife type versatility. 

But, overall, this is clearly a very talented player who you will be seeing plenty from in years to come. And yes, he will always have the curiosity of being an extremely rare modern white cornerback in the NFL, if a team wishes to go down that road.

POSITIVES: He plays the game in a very strong way and wants to activate and blow up plays. He is instinctive and seems to sniff out plays quickly and then he goes and gets the ball. He is a playmaking machine. I think I want him in the action more and as either a slot-corner or a box-safety, but I can see this player as a blitzing force for years to come.

CONCERNS:  He can play corner at the next level, but if we are talking about Day 1 or even early Day 2 draft picks, we don’t want “can survive” defenders. We want guys who make a clear difference and this is why you will want to insure he plays where he can excel. I think he is a safety, but then his tackling will have to improve. It might require a creative defensive mind.

OVERALL: A player this electric and versatile will have a chance at making teams pay for not seeing his potential, but projecting him to safety requires a bit of guess-work. I like him plenty, but I have fears of the unknown. I think I can see a FIRST ROUND GRADE, his workout pending.

Evaluation Scores (1-10):

• Man skills - 8

• Zone skills - 9

• Mirror and match skills - 8

• Blitzer - 9

• Overall Ability against the run - 8

• Ability against the pass - 8

• Key and Diagnose - 8

• Pursuit - 8

• Tackling - 8

• Hands - 8

• Acceleration- catchup speed - 8

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