On Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles may have selected the most versatile defensive back in the draft when they moved up in the second round to choose Iowa DB Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick.
The versatile defensive back spent time outside, in the slot, and at safety during his college career. Many believe he will be a safety on the pro level. The 21-year-old discussed his versatility.
“I think it’s a great thing, being able to play multiple positions, being able to impact the game from different spots, outside, inside, in the deep middle, wherever it is,” he said after the selection.
“So I think it’s a good thing for any team to have a guy that’s versatile who can play multiple positions, able to move around a little bit where he’s needed, able to plug in if there is an injury, whatever happens. Just being that guy to plug in and play. Obviously there is a lot to learn. Got get the defense down first, you know, just to be able to play all three positions.
DeJean is excited to be in Philadelphia.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “This is a place I wanted to be. You know, I had a great visit there during the draft process. You know, great coaches there, great team, great organization. You know this is something you dream of as a little kid, so I’m excited to bring my talents there.”
Some pundits had DeJean, nwho missed the season’s final four games with a fractured fibula, going in the first round, and he acknowledged some frustration about dropping to the second round.
“Obviously there’s a little frustration yesterday, but I’m excited with where I’m at, being in Philadelphia, being able to play for a great organization,” he said. “I was getting tired of this pre-draft process, so I’m excited to just get back to playing football.”
According to Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman, DeJean was a first-round player.
“He was a first-round player for us,” Roseman said. “You know, Jeffrey(Lurie) said this tonight, you know, it’s rare for us to be picking in the 20s and to get two first-round players. You know, both those guys were first-round players for us.
“We didn’t have 32 first-round guys, so when you get that opportunity to get two first-round guys, especially picking where we were, we felt like it was an opportunity, and it was obviously an area we wanted to address. We felt like we addressed a lot of the areas of our football team through free agency, but that was one area we could address, and there are a couple more we would like to address here.”
DeJean was also great in the return game, so seeing his impact on special teams should be interesting. The All-American, who had three interceptions last season, loves to have the ball in his hands.
“I love having the ball in my hands,” he said. “As a defensive guy that’s something that excites you. You don’t get to touch the ball as much. So whether it’s punt return or pick the ball off, whatever it is, my mindset is to go score. I played a lot with the ball in my hands in high school. I played quarterback.
“So that’s something I love to do. Run around and try and score. As far as the new kickoff rule, I think it’ll bring a lot of excitement to the game. You have two returners back there, and almost turns into a punt return. If you find a crease in there, it’s one on one. You and the kicker.”
With the selection of DB Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean, it’s clear the Eagles wanted to upgrade their secondary, and on paper, it appears they have done that.
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