After selecting cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wanted to add another defensive back in the second round.
And he wanted it to be Iowa star Cooper DeJean.
The Eagles planned to trade up to the eighth pick of the second round (No. 40) and hoped DeJean would fall to them. But Roseman’s heart dropped when he learned the Los Angeles Rams had traded up to No. 39. He thought for sure the Rams would take DeJean.
“Ah, that’s it,” Roseman said.
But the Rams didn’t pick DeJean. They selected Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske instead. Roseman erupted in celebration.
“Yes!” he exclaimed while giving a passionate fist-pump.
“I think that’s what makes the draft so interesting,” Roseman said on the full all-access video posted by the team’s YouTube account. “You don’t know how everyone else sees things. We know how we see things, and you get into your own head where you go, ‘Everybody’s gotta see it the same way.’ But it never works out that way.”
DeJean will join an Eagles secondary featuring Mitchell, Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. It’s unclear what position he’ll play at the next level, but the former Iowa star has experience at cornerback on the outside, in the slot and can also play safety.
