Earlier this morning, Adam Schefter reported that Cooper DeJean has been cleared to resume football activities. DeJean suffered a leg injury late in the 2023 season. He is a top prospect for the upcoming NFL draft and now seems good to go.
Cooper DeJean
Cooper DeJean is a defensive back out of the University of Iowa. The Iowa native played three seasons at Iowa, but only started for the past two years. DeJean was easily the best player on the team in 2023. The Hawkeyes were known for their horrible offense but their great defense throughout the 2023 season. Dejean was one of the only bright spots on Iowa’s football team last season. Cooper might not have put up crazy-looking stats, but he was a huge playmaker.
DeJean played 10 games last season and accounted for 41 tackles, two interceptions, and five passes defended. Along with his playmaking on defense, Cooper DeJean was also a great returner for the Hawkeyes. He had 250 return yards and one touchdown last season as well. DeJean was also stripped from another return touchdown due to a fair catch call. The reason DeJean only played 10 games last season was because he unfortunately broke his leg at the end of the season. Even through all of this Cooper DeJean declared for the upcoming NFL at the end of his 2023 season.
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NFL Draft
We are now less than one from the 2024 NFL draft. Throughout the entire draft process, Cooper DeJean has been one of the most discussed prospects for multiple reasons. One reason has been because of Dean’s injury. Being a versatile defender teams are not sure if a broken leg would significantly prohibit DeJean from being able to do what he did at Iowa.
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Another reason that teams are torn on DeJean has to do with what role he will play in the NFL. Cooper DeJean play a majority of his snaps at the outside corner during his colligate career. He has the size and speed to play outside corners in the NFL, but many teams seem to think he would be better suited at a nickel or safety position. This leads to him having a very wide draft range for the 2024 NFL draft. It seems he could be a top-15 pick but he also has a chance that he falls out of the first round.
This range should be changing very soon though. This morning it is the media that DeJean has recovered from his injury and has been cleared by doctors to resume football activity. DeJean could not participate at the combine nor Iowa’s pro day due to his injury. Being cleared Cooper DeJean will now host his private pro day next Monday, April 8th. This should help DeJean along with NFL teams decide two things. Where will Cooper DeJean be drafted and what kind of role will he play in the NFL?
Hopefully, DeJean goes out and proves that he can be a top pick in the NFL draft and a future star. If you are looking for more NFL draft content, follow me on X @ChaseGrimm28. If you are just looking for more football content in general check out more from Gridiron Heroics.
