Packers Iowa Defensive Playmaker ESPN NFL Mock Draft
With the 2024 NFL Draft approaching, the Green Bay Packers require assistance at cornerback. They also require assistance at safety. Additionally, they would require a slot corner and a kick returner if Keisean Nixon were not re-signed in free agency. Enter Cooper DeJean, a popular pick in every mock draft is the team’s first-round selection in a recent mock draft conducted by Field Yates of ESPN.com.
DeJean had two additional interceptions in 2023 after recording five interceptions in a breakout 2022 campaign. Pro Football Focus reports that DeJean played 553 snaps at cornerback, 140 in the slot, and 91 in the box in 2022. He played cornerback for the great majority of his snaps in 2023, allowing just 20 of 46 passes with zero touchdowns and a passer rating of 37.8.
READ MORE Green Bay PACKERS NEWS HERE
DeJean won the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and the Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year in 2023 in addition to being a unanimous first-team All-American. DeJean is a playmaker. He had 20 passes defensed and seven interceptions in his defensive career the previous two seasons. He has a career average of 13.1 yards per return as a punt returner and one touchdown.
Packers Need A Playmaker
Playmakers are what the Packers need. In 2023, they had seven interceptions, ranking 31st. South Dakota native DeJean, a senior at OABCIG High School in Ida Grove, Iowa, ran for 1,235 yards, passed for 3,447 yards, and scored 59 touchdowns overall. He was also a superb sprinter and scored over 1,800 points in his basketball career.
Deejan At Iowa
“Good size, rocked-up guy,” Iowa recruiting director Tyler Barnes told The Athletic. “I think he had four or five dunks in that game, one of which he dunked over two guys. One was about 6-5. To see a quiet kid like that, once he jumped on the basketball court, his switch flipped. To see him operate the way he did, I was texting everybody on staff, ‘This kid is an absolute no-brainer.’” No-brainer to Iowa, at least. His major offers were to play quarterback at South Dakota State or to play defense at Iowa. “The most amazing part is he wasn’t recruited, especially in this day and age where there’s no secrets,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “On top of it, he’s a great young guy and just a great team member.
“Being a multi-sport athlete, it seems like anybody who’s smart I talk to in football, they endorse that, the people in the NFL. You can usually go back and trace that; like the good ball skill guys, they played stuff other than just football growing up. Sometimes they didn’t play football until later.”
If DeJean were available at No. 25 overall, Green Bay would select him without hesitation. With Rasul Douglas traded and Eric Stokes having yet another injury-plagued season, the Packers have concerns at cornerback.
Due to the impending free agency of Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, and Darnell Savage, they have concerns at safety. Additionally, since Nixon is about to become a free agent, they have a safety concern. In Yates’ mock, three offensive tackles and one cornerback were chosen following DeJean.