Throughout the 2024 NFL draft process, Cooper DeJean has been one prospect that has been debated more than others. Where he would be drafted and what position he would play were the main points of discussion. DeJean tried to answer these questions at his pro day on Tuesday.
Cooper DeJean
DeJean played the entirety of his collegiate career at the University of Iowa. DeJean was one of the best players on the field for the Hawkeyes over the past few seasons. He was a massive piece on their defense to try to help their struggling offense. Cooper DeJean played the majority of his snaps at cornerback but was flying all over the field to get to the football. With only 41 tackles and two interceptions, his stats do not show how much of an impact he had on the Iowa defense.
Not only was DeJean a playmaker on defense he also played returner for the Hawkeyes. He had over 20 return attempts for 250 yards to go along with one return touchdown. Unfortunately, DeJean suffered a broken leg late in the season which caused him to miss a couple of key games for the Hawkeyes. This injury has prohibited Dejean from participating at the NFL combine or Iowa’s pro day.
Pro Day
Over a week ago, DeJean announced that he had been cleared by doctors to participate in football activities. To go along with this he said that he would be holding his private pro day on April 8th to make up for missing the NFL combine.
Cooper DeJean showed out at his pro day yesterday. Measuring in at 6’1 200lbs DeJean ran a 4.43 40-yard dash which was very quick for his size. To go along with his fast 40 Cooper DeJean had a broad jump of 10’4 and a vertical over 38 inches. Being so close to the draft this pro day was massive for DeJean. Showing teams he is very athletic and healthy should be massive for his draft stock.
Draft Stock
After his massive pro day, the question is where DeJean will be drafted in a couple of weeks. Before his pro day, DeJean was projected to go around the 20-30th overall range. In most mock drafts DeJean has been linked to the Green Bay Packers at 25. So after his pro day how far is DeJean moving up draft boards? It also depends on what position you want DeJean to play. Some teams think that DeJean can stick on the outside but other teams think he would be better suited in the slot.
If teams view him as more of an outside corner his pro day should be able to push him into that that 15-20 range with a chance of the Colts or Jaguars selecting him. If teams, see him as more of a slot or safety it is likely he sticks around that 20-25 range.
Either way, it seems that Cooper DeJean is a lock to be a first-round pick, and after his pro day, he has shown teams that he can be a huge playmaker for an NFL defense.
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