Scouts Have Different Views on Future of Eagles Rookie
PHILADELPHIA – Versatility is generally considered a good thing for NFL players but there can also be a bit of a blowback for a prospect with a full toolbox.
Jack of all trades, master of none is a figure of speech that references someone competent with many skills but hasn’t settled down enough to master one.
Philadelphia Eagles’ second-round pick Cooper DeJean straddled the fence around with the league’s personnel people. Projections ranged from outside cornerback to the slot or a potential move to the back end of the defense. Add in the big nickel and the 6-foot, 203-pound DeJean is potentially the kind of player the Eagles haven’t had since Malcolm Jenkins.
Expect the versatile Cooper DeJean to start at CB. © Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY
Fans should remember, however, that it took Jenkins sometime before he could roam the back seven at will. The three-time Pro Bowl selection entered the league as an outside CB when he was selected at No. 14 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2009.
That’s where DeJean will start with the Eagles in 2023 as well.
The Iowa product was scouted by Philadelphia as an outside CB, a position he lined up at for the majority of his time with the Hawkeyes.
The projections of playing other spots come from DeJean’s work at what was called the “cash” position on the Iowa defense where the idea was to take advantage of his playmaking skills.
According to Pro Football Focus, 630 of DeJean’s 705 snaps were at CB during his final season at Iowa. From there it was 28 snaps at the line of scrimmage, 23 in the slot, and 23 more in the box with only one as a deep safety. The latter is obviously the biggest projection.
There is little doubt that DeJean has the athletic chops to stay outside the numbers. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at his pro day and showed tremendous explosion with a 38 ½-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 10’4”. His basketball tape also shows the amazing explosion to dunk the ball with ease at his height.
On the field, DeJean is a high-IQ player with the ability to recognize routes and distribute them seamlessly in the ever-increasing world of zone-match coverage. His ball skills are immaculate and his top-tier return ability turns him into an immediate weapon whenever he generates a turnover.
Although the Eagles will pay some lip service to James Bradberry as long as the veteran remains on the offseason roster, the short-term goal is to get first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell on the field opposite Darius Slay at outside CB in 2024.
By 2025 it could be Mitchell and DeJean or Kelee Ringo as the outside CBs.
In the meantime, expect the cross-training with DeJean to start later in the summer when things are whittled down to 53 and the versatility will be needed with fewer bodies.
Getting DeJean on the field early will be a goal for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his staff.