Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean reportedly has a pre-draft visit set with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
The Steelers have shown interest in a number of cornerbacks, and DeJean will be the seventh that the team has or will bring in for a pre-draft visit. Earlier this week, DeJean held an individual Pro Day after being medically cleared after an injury that ended his season at Iowa.
At his individual Pro Day, DeJean weighed in at 202 pounds and ran a 4.33 and 4.35 in his two 40-yard dash attempts. He would add a much-needed speed element to the Steelers’ secondary, as Pittsburgh’s corners struggled with their speed last season and it hurt the passing defense, particularly early in the season.
DeJean had 7 interceptions in his career at Iowa, with 5 coming in 2022 and an additional 2 coming in the 10 games he played in 2023 before fracturing his right fibula. He also has 13 career passes defensed, 8 in 2022 and 5 in 2023, along with 120 career tackles. He also had 3 defensive touchdowns in the 2022 season. He just turned 21 years old on February 9. In his scouting report on DeJean, Jonathan Heitritter gave him a Day One grade.
He would profile as a potential selection for the Steelers at No. 20 overall in the first round. After testing well at his individual Pro Day, it’s unlikely DeJean will slip to the second round, even in a deep corner class. He also offers versatility to play inside, which the Steelers need as the team doesn’t currently have a reliable slot cornerback on the roster.
Another cornerback that the Steelers have shown interest in despite not yet hosting him for a pre-draft visit is Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, who the team had dinner with ahead of his Pro Day. With DeJean and Wiggins both coming in for pre-draft visits, that’s three potential first-round corners that the Steelers have met with since the NFL Combine. It could show that the team could prioritize cornerback in the first round of the draft as they’re doing their due diligence on some of the draft’s top cornerbacks.
