Nobody wants to remember bitter and heartbreaking memories but the new Philadelphia Eagles CB had to face it. Cooper DeJean was a star player at Iowa before being picked as the No. 40 overall pick in the second round. But an invalid execution last season has come back to haunt him ahead of his first season in the NFL. 

The thing about mistakes is that they’re remembered ten-fold more than an outstanding accomplishment. Let’s face it, DeJean is a versatile DB who can shine both as an inside and outside CB and safety. The South Dakota native is also an experienced punt returner which ironically became the reason for his disheartening attitude after history is pulled back out. 

In what is a dig to Cooper DeJean, Barstool Iowa followed Joe Biden’s “I’m sick” post on X with the phrase “Thinking about Cooper DeJean punt return.” Then barstooluiowa posted the screenshot of the comment on IG on July 20 captioning it “Real.” Following this post, the 21-year-old NFL rookie dropped his response with just one sad face emoji to which barstooluiowa replied, “Was never a fair catch.” 

What happened was that in 2023 during a game against Minnesota, the former Iowa standout secured a 54-yard punt return touchdown which would have had the Hawkeyes leading 16-12. But the video review of the touchdown depicted that DeJean made an invalid fair-catch signal before he fielded the ball near the Gophers sideline. This led to Minnesota beating Iowa 12-10 as they won the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, their first since 2014. It’s truly a devastating memory but DeJean has more important things to focus on ahead as one of the biggest NFL draft steals. 

Cooper DeJean is an NFL draft steal

Playing in Iowa last season, Cooper DeJean was named a unanimous All-American and won the titles of both the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year. He was initially projected as a first-round pick by several draft boards so when the Eagles picked him at No. 40, he became one of the biggest draft steals. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, “I’m enough of a fan of DeJean that if he had gone No. 22 overall to the Eagles, he would have made my list of favorite first-round picks. But at No. 40? Steal.”

The 6’0, 203-pounder didn’t give his opponents a chance for a touchdown in coverage last season while allowing only 22 receptions. He not only bagged several titles but was also a final contender for the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. He’ll be an excellent addition for the Eagles who will kick off their season with an opener against the Green Bay Packers on September 7.