The College of Iowa has been a little bit of a surprise crew of late with a number of previous Hawkeyes going pro and creating a large impact in the NFL. Becoming a member of the ranks of Lukas Van Ness, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Linderbaum, and Tristan Wirfs, junior cornerback Cooper DeJean is envisioned to be the up coming Iowa alum chosen early in an NFL draft.
DeJean grew up in Iowa as a multi-activity athlete, excelling in baseball, basketball, observe, and soccer. At OABCIG HS in Ida Grove, Iowa, DeJean was a star athlete on the gridiron, enjoying vast receiver, quarterback, and defensive back again though also returning punts. He gained All-State honors as a receiver his sophomore yr and then led his group to undefeated, state championship seasons at quarterback the subsequent two yrs.
Even with rating as a consensus 4-star recruit and a leading-10 safety in the nation, in accordance to 247sporting activities.com, DeJean only garnered a single FBS present. His initially offer you came from Iowa Western CC before he acquired presents from FCS applications like Illinois Point out, North Dakota Point out, South Dakota Point out, and Northern Iowa. He gained his 1st and only FBS supply from the Hawkeyes adhering to a Junior Day take a look at and committed two months afterwards.
At Iowa, DeJean played sparingly as a freshman, showing in seven game titles and producing one particular start but being largely off the stat sheet. His sophomore year was a distinctive story as he exploded onto the scene. Commencing all 13 games in his next period with the Hawkeyes, DeJean concluded the time with next-staff All-Significant Ten honors immediately after primary the workforce with five interceptions and 13 passes defensed even though playing across from Broncos cornerback Riley Moss. DeJean demonstrated his return abilities on all those interceptions, returning a few of them for touchdowns. He also demonstrated his return skills on returns, averaging 16.5 yards for each return on 10 punts fielded.
DeJean’s junior calendar year at Iowa was equally extraordinary. He been given to start with-group All-Big 10 honors as equally a defensive again and punt returner whilst also staying named Massive Ten DB of the Calendar year and Large Ten PR of the Yr. On 21 punt returns, DeJean experienced 241 return yards and a touchdown. Observing significantly much less targets, DeJean ongoing to generate as a cornerback with two interceptions and seven passes defensed, but a damaged fibula in his ideal leg in November would require year-ending surgical treatment that sidelined him for the remainder of the year and for the pre-draft system until incredibly not too long ago.
This earlier week, DeJean was capable to host a personal workout for scouts. He shown an impressive explosiveness on his vertical and wide leap and clocked in at 4.42 seconds (unofficial) for his 40-lawn dash, per Jeff Risdon of United states Now. The mini-pro day did a lot to establish that his restoration was progressing effectively and that the injury most likely gained’t be a issue in his rookie season.
DeJean is marginally shorter than the prototypical cornerback dimensions (just over six feet tall), but as an athlete who was moved all over to safety and hybrid roles in Iowa City, he has decent dimensions to go alongside with his previously mentioned regular pace. His response time can be a hindrance at periods, but he usually masks it with excellent anticipation. His playing knowledge as a quarterback, receiver, and cornerback presents him a exclusive insight that enables him to anticipate far better than most other defenders. He’s one particular of the superior tackling cornerbacks in this draft and performs physical even when the opponent is not carrying the ball. His blend of pace and physicality let him to use a wide variety of person protection strategies with success. His absence of strong response time prospects to the occasional overrunning of a route, and he can get grabby to keep away from shedding coverage, but these are scarce events in what is ordinarily stellar protection.
ESPN’s Matt Miller ranks DeJean as the fourth-greatest cornerback and the 26th-greatest prospect in general. Dane Brugler of The Athletic seems to agree, slotting DeJean as the fourth-finest corner and the 25th-ideal prospect all round. DeJean seems like a no-brainer in the mid- to late- first round. He reveals flexibility with knowledge actively playing all around the secondary and becomes an quick special groups asset as a rookie. DeJean will hope to land with a team who can employ him early and usually as he makes an attempt to be a part of LaPorta, Linderbaum, and George Kittle as the most current Pro Bowl Hawkeyes in 2024.