Just two days ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN is running some final mock drafts with its army of NFL Nation reporters. And the pick for the Green Bay Packers at No. 25 overall is an interesting one.
It’s one that ESPN’s analysts didn’t necessarily agree on.
The pick itself was for Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, but that pick was met with some resistance by former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who thinks other positions are more vital to the team’s success.
“With the 25th pick the Green Bay Packers select Cooper DeJean, defensive back, Iowa,” said reporter Rob Demovsky. “We could have gone with tackle Amarius Mims here since the Packers have moved on from David Bakhtiari and might eventually want to move Zach Tom to center where they think he can be a dominant center. But DeJean is so versatile.
“He can play outside, he can play inside in the slot and perhaps even safety. The Packers no doubt want to give new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley an influx of talent. Also they love Iowa guys. This would be the second straight year that they’ve taken a player from Iowa in Round 1.”
DeJean was downright dominant in the secondary at Iowa, a true ballhawk in every sense of the word.
He finished his career with 120 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss, seven interceptions with three defensive touchdowns and 20 pass breakups. He had a knack for getting his hand on the ball.
But even though cornerback is a need for Green Bay, Tannenbaum sees bigger needs elsewhere.
“I understand corner because you look at Eric Stokes who was a first-round pick, but he’s only played 12 games over the last two years,” Tannenbaum said. “But to me it’s left tackle. Jordan Love is on the precipice of being a star. And as Rob alluded to, look, they’ve moved on from David Bakhtiari, go take the left tackle. Could be Jordan Morgan of Arizona.
“And now with all that other great young talent you have on offense you have the most important piece after the quarterback, you have the left tackle. So I like corner, I love tackle.”
The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night in Detroit. The draft will be broadcast live on both ABC and ESPN.
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