The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some pre-draft interest in Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, holding a formal meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine and hosting him for a pre-draft visit. While there’s been some debate over whether DeJean can stick at cornerback or should move to safety, there’s not much debate over the fact that he’s a talented prospect. In Bruce Feldman’s NFL Draft Confidential for The Athletic, DeJean was compared to Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland by an anonymous NFL DB Coach.
“This is the best DB in the class. He has the rare ability to be a nickel one year, a safety the next and a corner the next. He’ll be a great chess piece,” the coach told Feldman. “He doesn’t have the linear straight-line transitions of what you want in a first-round corner. But you see some Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jevon Holland in there. He can play outside, in the slot, in the deep part of the field. I think whoever gets him will be really happy with him.”
Fitzpatrick started his career as a nickel corner before getting traded to Pittsburgh during his second season and making the switch to safety. Since then, he’s been among the best safeties in football. Pittsburgh doesn’t have an immediate need at safety, largely due to the presence of Fitzpatrick and the move to bring in DeShon Elliott this offseason, so if the team did take DeJean, he’d likely play cornerback. Due to his inside-out versatility, he could be a nice piece for the Steelers to move around into different spots, but with the team needing a slot cornerback right now, DeJean could be an interesting candidate to come in and start in the slot.
There isn’t much in the cornerback room behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson, and while the team is excited about the prospects of Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush, it’s going to be hard to rely on either one of them to play a big role in 2024. Especially with Trice coming off a serious knee injury, the Steelers should look to add corner depth in the draft, through free agency, or both avenues. While center and offensive tackle are also needs and two positions the Steelers have frequently been linked to in the first round, they could opt to address cornerback with a prospect like DeJean whose talent might surpass his draft slot and is also plays a position of need.
Given the Steelers’ pre-draft interest in DeJean, the idea of him being the pick can’t be ruled out, although I do think it is more likely that the team addresses cornerback after the first round. We’ll find out soon enough though what the Steelers opt to do and whether DeJean ends up in Black and Gold.
