The Philadelphia Eagles doubled down on their secondary in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night, taking University of Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick.
On Thursday evening, the Eagles selected Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, so clearly, Philadelphia wanted to address its defensive backfield.
An NFL scout tells the NFL Analysis Network that he loves this pick for Philly.
“What an absolute steal again for the Eagles,” the scout said. “They steal Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and then steal Cooper DeJean in the second. He’s going to be an absolute superstar. How he slipped past the middle stage of the first round is beyond me. Howie Roseman and the Eagles are winning this draft and it’s not even close from a value perspective.”
The Eagles finished 31st in the league in passing defense this past season, so it’s no surprise that Philadelphia is focusing on trying to improve its secondary.
Philly currently has Darius Slay and James Bradberry at corner, but Slay is aging, and Bradberry was subpar in 2023.
DeJean is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he registered 41 tackles, a couple of interceptions and five passes defended.
The 21-year-old arrived at Iowa in 2021 and had a very minimal role at first. However, in his second season, DeJean broke out, racking up 75 tackles, three tackles for loss, five picks, eight passes defended and a hefty three defensive touchdowns.
The Eagles still need to work on the safety position, but the fact that they are so intent on improving their cornerbacks shows great initiative on their part.
We’ll see if Cooper DeJean is ready to contribute in a big way in 2024.
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