It's a universally accepted fact that Cooper DeJean is a Green Bay Packers draft type. He's athletic, has college production, and upside to play at a valuable position. The big question is if he can in fact be a boundary cornerback or just a safety/nickel type.
It feels like the Packers front office is comfortable with where DeJean can play. And it's everywhere.
During his pre-draft press conference, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst talked specifically about the Iowa defensive back and how he could fit the Packers defense.
"I think he can do both," Gutekunst said, mentioning that DeJean can be a corner or safety. "I think he's very versatile that way. He's obviously a very good athlete. His ability to take the ball away is very impressive. Obviously he's got some (special) teams ability as well, so he's a very well-rounded player."
Cooper DeJean was a significant contributor at Iowa for each of the last two years. Combining both seasons, he played 1,183 snaps as a boundary cornerback, 163 snaps in the slot, 114 as a box safety, one as a deep safety, and 58 close to the line of scrimmage.
The question now is more if Cooper DeJean will be available at 25. For now, he's the 19th prospect on the consensus big board. Other than that, for Green Bay it depends on who will be available and the perception of positional value.
If the Packers see DeJean as a primary boundary cornerback, his value might be higher for them. But if he's viewed as a safety and there's a solid offensive tackle available, the situation might be different.
Trade up or down?
The Packers could potentially move up to be in the range to secure Cooper DeJean, but it sure doesn't feel like Gutekunst is willing to trade significant capital for just one player. Over the past three years, no other team has had more total picks than Green Bay, and that is tied to their recent success.
"More at-bats, more chances for hits. There's never enough," Gutekunst added. "I don't ever subscribe to the thought-process of 'Hey, we've got a pretty good team, these guys might not have a chance to make the team'. I've talked a lot about competition in every room and how much it accelerates the growth of your football team. That's the best way for your team to move forward. You never have enough ammunition to build your rooms."
On the other hand, trades to acquire a higher volume of picks are on the board.
"We have a lot of them (11) right now, I'd love to end up with 13, 14, or more," the GM said. "I would never shy away from that."
More must-reads: