Exclusive: Deion Sanders’ Influence Evident in Cooper DeJean as Top CB Prospect Aims to Emulate ‘Primetime’

As if tackling the developments in the 2024 draft wasn’t enough, Cooper DeJean has taken another mammoth task on his hands: re-creating one of the finest legacies in the football world. One which boasts a decorated list of accolades with the 8x Pro-Bowl, perfectly topped off with the two shiny Super Bowl rings. Prime Time has fascinated thousands if not millions, of football buffs (get the pun?) right from his Atlanta Falcons days. DeJean is one of them.

“When I watch highlights, that’s the guy I enjoy,” DeJean proudly admitted in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports when asked about his fascination with PrimeTime. Sanders’ running blazing routes on the field is something classic that continues to interest DeJean. The classic high steps, paired with his arm action made him mesmerizing to watch.  “I think when I watch Deion Sanders, just the way he plays the ball, just the way he plays the game, that’s the guy I like to watch,” DeJean further added.

Seems that the Sanders magic is working wonders on DeJean. He has already scribbled the drafts’ narrative by playing football, baseball, and track and field in his college career, giving it the PrimeTime edge. And emulating Deion Sanders’ sports preferences from a young age gave him all the right benefits.

Being a former track and field athlete aided DeJean in capitalizing on the best of his speed, just like Prime did back in his day. DeJean blazed through the 40-yard dash in just 4.4 seconds, giving the scouting heads a taste of all the Prime speed in him. Even his return punts, and his solid understanding of the game while covering the corner are very Deion-esque.

The influence of Sanders on DeJean and his sports preferences is immense, surely. The person who inculcated it all in him, however, is rather the splitting image of Deion Sanders, especially when it comes to baseball.

Cooper DeJean’s ‘Big baseball guy’

Sanders’s football highlights and clips did their part in teaching DeJean the tricks of the gridiron, sure, but his grandfather is the one who solidified the foundations of the DB’s football acumen. Cooper DeJean’s grandfather, Al Wilke, was a football coach then. He not only taught him the importance of being an athlete but also sowed the first seeds of his love for baseball.

“I think it’s the hand-eye coordination. It’s a big part of it. Catching and throwing the ball, throwing it from different angles for QBs. But Baseball’s a tough sport to play. You’re trying to hit a ball that’s coming… 90 miles per hour at your face, you never know. So it takes a lot of practice to do so. It’s cool to see guys who’ve done that and excelled in sports like football as well,” Cooper DeJean said to EssentiallySports, taking great pride in his grandfather’s legacy.

Be it his grandfather’s or his inspiration Deion Sanders’ effect prompting him, the 2024 NFL draft is all set to get a defensive back with a vision of creating a lasting legacy.