The Green Bay Packers are looking to potentially draft a defensive back in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and one of the names that could be available is Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean. He missed the last five months with a broken leg but was cleared for football activities recently.
DeJean worked out during his Iowa Pro Day and his pro day caught the attention of a lot of people. He is 6’1″ and weighs 207 lbs and was a junior last season. His stats last season with the Iowa Hawkeyes were 41 total tackles, two interceptions, and five pass deflections.
He was also a punt returner for the Hawkeyes and some NFL teams want to draft him because of his good special teams ability as well. Cooper DeJean is projected to be a first-round selection, but it is unknown how high or how low in that round he will go.
The Athletic’s Latest NFL Mock Draft Does Have the Green Bay Packers Taking Cooper DeJean With the 25th Overall Pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has the Packers taking Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean in his latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft. His reasoning for Green Bay using this selection on him was as follows:
“Can DeJean play outside corner? Maybe, depending on the scheme and situation. Can he play safety? Absolutely, yes. DeJean is a versatile nickel with high-level return skills, and he’d fill a need for Green Bay.”
The Packers do need help at both safety and cornerback. It would be a good thing to have a versatile player in the secondary to play both positions. However, Green Bay would need to figure out if he suits the cornerback position better or the safety position better.
If the Green Bay Packers were to play at Cooper DeJean, a pairing of him and Xavier McKinney would be a good deal for this defense. That then means Green Bay will still need to find another cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft and that is something general manager Brian Gutekunst will need to decide.
Green Bay also does not have enough depth at the cornerback position. Jaire Alexander missed a lot of games a season in this secondary. The Packers also may not have the chance to draft Cooper DeJean if other teams get a chance to draft him before the 25th selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
