2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, I’ll be a scouting report on Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.

#3 Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa (Junior) — 6004, 203lb

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has great size and length for the position
— Filled-out frame to battle bigger receivers outside and aid in run support
— Impressive athlete when it comes to speed, burst, quickness, and leaping ability
— Former four-sport athlete who moves well on the field for his size
— Has the speed to carry receivers vertically up the sideline and across the field
— Can mirror receivers on their route matching them in their transitions
— Has great instincts in zone coverage to undercut routes and step in front of passes
— Does a great job reading the quarterback’s eyes in coverage and positioning himself in coverage
— Can click and close quickly on underneath passes to tackle at the catch or contest the pass
— Closes the distance quickly on passes when he needs to recover and get back in position
— Versatile defender who has started at outside corner, nickel, and strong safety in college
— Has the size and physicality to cover tight ends lined up in the slot
— Dangerous return man with the ball in his hands, having the burst and vision to take it the distance

THE BAD

— Is more straight-line fast than quick, having a bigger frame that can take longer to transition
— Tends to give up easy completions when in trail coverage, giving up short/intermediate passes
— Opens up early in the rep, placing his back to the sideline declaring his position
— Can get turned around by nuanced route runners, taking time to transition back to the ball
— Can do a better job limiting separation and playing the ball in the air in coverage
— Needs to do a better job fighting off blocks against the run given his size/frame
— Can get more involved as a run defender, missing occasional tackles
— Is coming off a significant leg injury that cost him the last month of the season

BIO

— Junior prospect from Odebolt, IA
— Born February 9, 2003 (age 20)
— All-State athlete who starred at OA-BCIG high school, playing quarterback and defensive back
— Led prep team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior
— Four-sport athlete in high school playing football, basketball, baseball, and track & field
— Class 2A long jump (23-7.5) and 100-meter dash (11.16) state champion as a senior, placed second in the 200-meter dash (22.12)
— Committed to Iowa and saw action in seven games in 2021, starting at strong safety in one game against Nebraska
— Played all 13 games in 2022, starting 10 at cornerback and three at Leo/cash position and made 75 tackles (56 solo), three tackles for loss, five interceptions (three returned for touchdowns), and eight pass breakups, also returned 10 punts for 165 yards
— Started at cornerback in first 10 games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending lower leg injury in practice
— Recorded 41 tackles (26 solo), two tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and returned 21 punts for 241 yards with one touchdown
— Unanimous consensus All-American (2023) Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year (2023) first-team All-Big Ten (2022-23), named to Iowa’s Player Council as a sophomore and junior
— Sports and recreational management major

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Staring at OA-BCIG High School two hours from my hometown, Iowa DB Cooper DeJean quickly became the most renowned high school athlete in the Hawkeye state prior to enrolling with the Hawkeyes. He was a four-sport athlete who shined on the gridiron, the hardwood, the diamond, and the track, becoming a two-time state champion in football while also winning multiple events at state track and field. He took his talent to Iowa and quickly became the best player on the Hawkeyes’ roster, declaring early for the NFL Draft as a versatile defensive back who brings a lot to the table for the team that selects him this upcoming spring.

DeJean is a world-class athlete, possessing the size, speed, and explosiveness that you desire in a defensive back. He has the juice to carry receivers up the sideline and down the field, being able to match them step-for-step in coverage. Watch this play DeJean makes this season against Michigan State, matching the receiver on the vertical route, not biting on the double move as he reads the quarterback’s eyes, and making the interception in the back of the end zone while getting both feet in bounds.

A majority of DeJean’s starts came at the outside corner, but he’s played a fair amount in the slot as well and has shown that he can hold up well there against slot receivers and tight ends. Watch this rep against Ohio State a season ago where DeJean is in the slot at the top of your screen and carries the receiver to the end zone on the post corner route, staying in phase the entire time as he plays through the pass catcher’s hands to force the incompletion. DeJean needs to do a better job on this rep getting his head turned around to the football, but he does log the forced incompletion.

DeJean’s athleticism allows him to stay sticky in coverage with some of the best receivers, even when the play is extended. Take a look at this rep against the Buckeyes where DeJean is tasked with covering WR Marvin Harrison Jr. one-on-one in coverage on the outside. QB C.J. Stroud gets out of the pocket to extend the play, but DeJean stays right on Harrison’s hip as he comes back across the field, closing the distance between he and Harrison as the ball is thrown and manages to tip the pass up in the air and force the incompletion on the extended play.

DeJean will rely on his instincts in off/zone coverage to take him to the football, having made seven interceptions in his last two seasons. He’s returned three of those for touchdowns back in 2022, being an opportunistic ball hawk that has a sense of when to jump a route and step in front of a receiver. Here’s a good example against Purdue where DeJean starts covering his man, but sees the quarterback lock onto another receiver running toward the left sideline, coming off his man and snags the pick on the overthrown pass, taking the ball back inside the Purdue five-yard line to set the offense up to put points on the board.

On top of being a top-end defensive back, DeJean is also a dangerous return man, having been named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Year this season as the team’s punt returner. He has a real feel for the ball in his hands dating back to his days as a dual-threat quarterback in high school, identifying return lanes and weaving through the coverage team on the field. We see that skill set in this return against Michigan State this season, taking this punt back to the house, and putting the Hawkeyes up on top late in the fourth quarter.

When it comes to tackling, DeJean is a mixed bag as he has the size and strength to be a quality run defender, but he does miss his fair share of attempts. He needs to come in more controlled and show a little more want-to in run support, oftentimes arriving on the scene standing up instead of flying into the pile. Here is a two-play sequence against the Buckeyes where we see DeJean miss a tackle in run support in the first clip, but successfully make the tackle on a similar play in the second clip.

DeJean is a great athlete when it comes to speed and explosiveness, but he can do a better job judging angles to the ball and limiting the amount of space he must recover in initial separation. Watch this rep where DeJean is matched up with WR Julian Fleming of Ohio State at the top of your screen, opening up immediately rather than committing to his backpedal, giving Fleming the entire middle of the field as his back is toward the sideline. Fleming runs a skinny post to the middle of the field, making DeJean adjust where he is a tad slow to get back in-phase with Fleming who catches the deep pass as Dejean misses the breakup attempt, waltzing into the end zone for the long bomb touchdown.

DeJean’s size also prohibits him from getting in and out of his breaks as fluidly as other smaller defensive backs, moving well overall for his size, but still being a bigger cornerback that can be a tad slower in his transitions. Watch this two-play sequence against the Spartans where DeJean gets beat on the comeback route by the receiver, but the quarterback overthrows him. The very next play, the offense dials up the same concept, getting DeJean again as the receiver breaks back to the ball, getting the separation he needs to make the catch before DeJean can transition back to make the tackle.

Conclusion

Cooper DeJean is a talented athlete who has shown versatility to play multiple positions in the secondary. He projects well as an outside cornerback at the next level given his size and athletic profile, but his short area quickness to cover quicker receivers at the top of routes as well as his recognition on spacing of the deep ball need to improve to be more consistent against NFL receivers at the next level. His skill set translates well to a big nickel that can cover tight ends as well as a safety that can use his instincts to make plays in off-coverage, but an NFL team will likely try him out as an outside corner first before making the decision to move him inside to the backend.

DeJean could follow similar positional conversions like Jabrill Peppers or Kareem Jackson in the NFL, but his skill set compares greatly to Caleb Farley coming out of Virginia Tech. Farley was also recognized as a great athlete at the position, possessing similar size, speed, and explosiveness at cornerback where he racked up 19 pass deflections and six interceptions in two seasons. He had similar issues regarding quick transitions in coverage like DeJean, but had the profile to match up with WR1s on the outside like the Hawkeye defensive back.

Farley also was dealing with injury issues coming out of college, getting drafted 22nd overall by the Titans back in 2021. DeJean appears to be recovering well from his lower-body injury suffered near the end of this season, possibly being able to compete at the NFL Combine in March. The Steelers could use help at various places in the secondary, needing a long-term starter opposite of Joey Porter Jr. on the outside as well as a capable slot defender. DeJean can do both as a guy Pittsburgh could target in the first round should he be healthy, drafting him to contribute quickly in sub packages either on the outside or in the nickel while also having the skill set to be the team’s punt returner from Day One.

Projection: Day One
Depot Draft Grade: 8.7 – Year 1 Quality Starter (First Round)
Games Watched: vs Michigan State (2023), Vs Purdue (2023, at Ohio State (2022)