As Iowa’s Cooper DeJean prepares for NFL Draft, he can ‘play anywhere’

INDIANAPOLIS — As Cooper DeJean answered questions from reporters at the NFL Combine at the end of last month, he “wouldn’t be where I am” without Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

“He taught me just about everything I know about the defensive side of the ball,” DeJean said. “He taught me the ins and outs. He moved me around quite a bit, which allowed me to grow a lot as a player.”

The last part — DeJean’s versatility — has especially been under the spotlight as the star Iowa cornerback prepares for the NFL Draft.

“I feel like I’ve proven that I can play outside and inside,” DeJean said at the combine amid a flurry of questions about playing safety, nickel or cornerback. “Obviously, I haven’t played safety in college. But I feel like I have the ability to play multiple, different positions in the back end.”

Over the last two seasons as a starting cornerback at Iowa, DeJean took 1,188 snaps out wide and 163 snaps in the slot, per Pro Football Focus. While DeJean has not played in collegiate games at safety, he has practiced there.

A “few teams” have talked to DeJean about “moving around” the secondary, he said when asked about moving to safety. Whether he plays inside or outside “doesn’t matter to me, to be honest.”

“I’ll play anywhere,” DeJean said. “I just want to play ball.”

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah "wouldn’t pigeonhole him into corner or nickel or safety at this point in time,“ he said in a conference call with reporters last month.

“I hate saying it this way, but you almost sort it out when you get him there and see who you have got,” Jeremiah said. “He allows you, almost like an offensive lineman that is versatile, to get your best five DBs on the field because of his versatility and athleticism to be able to play in any spot.”

Jeremiah saw “just one little thing that bothered me a little bit” about DeJean at cornerback.

“I just think there’s a little bit of a pause in his transition, but I’m probably nitpicking a little bit there,” Jeremiah said.

Either way, whoever selects DeJean is “drafting a big-time athlete.”

“He has football instincts,” Jeremiah said. “He has ball skills.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked DeJean last week as the 17th-best overall prospect and third-best cornerback in the draft class. His colleague Jordan Reid slotted DeJean at No. 25 to the Green Bay Packers in his latest mock draft.

Pro Football Focus is even more bullish on the former Hawkeye from Odebolt, ranking him as the eighth-best overall prospect and top cornerback in the class. PFF noted his “football, ball skills and explosive athleticism” in his draft profile that make him a cornerback with “All-Pro potential.”

Even the always-humble DeJean admitted during the combine he had formal meetings — a significant indicator of interest because each team only gets 45 of them — with “about 20” NFL teams.

Wherever he goes — between the 32 possible NFL homes and the handful of different positions he can play on any of those teams — DeJean wants to “outwork everybody.”

“I feel like if I’m working hard, it’ll bring my teammates along with me,” DeJean said. “Going to an NFL team, I just want to earn the respect of my teammates, first and foremost, and learn from the guys who have done it before me as much as I can.”

If DeJean learns as much from his future teammates as the unanimous All-American did from Parker, his odds of NFL fortune seem quite favorable.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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