Cooper DeJean will have his NFL dreams come true by the end of the day as he is fully expected to be a first round pick.
There are many suitors for the versatile defensive back, though his lack of specialty, suspect man coverage skills, and his recovery from a broken leg in November have settled his draft stock to the mid-to-late 20s.
Of course, it's no guarantee that DeJean will be taken in the first round, but it would certainly be a surprise if he isn't.
With the draft just hours away, the very best draft analysts have begun to release their final mock drafts. So let's take a look at where each expert expects the former Iowa Hawkeye to land in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Each mock draft is linked to the analysts' names. Some prominent mock drafts, such as Peter Schrager's, Lance Zurlien's and Dan Brugler's have not yet been released as of this article's publication.
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
Daniel Jeremiah is one of the very best NFL Draft evaluators as the lead draft analyst for NFL.com. Jeremiah is a fan of DeJean's with the defensive back No. 24 on his Big Board, but he does ride the fence on where DeJean will play at the next level.
Jeremiah sends DeJean to the Green Bay Packers at No. 25 overall noting that Green Bay7 has invested heavily into its defense over the years.
Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN
Everyone wants to know where Mel Kiper is projecting a player to go. Kiper likes DeJean even more than Jeremiah with the Hawkeye landing at No. 14 on his final Big Board.
Kiper released his final mock draft all the way back on April 10, surprisingly. Kiper has DeJean going the highest of any other mock draft, landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 17 overall.
Matt Miller, ESPN
Matt Miller, like Jeremiah, sends DeJean to Green Bay. Miller suggests that DeJean's versatility and playmaking ability match up well with the defensive scheme in the Frozen Tundra.
Jordan Reid, ESPN
Miller's ESPN associate Jordan Reid also sees DeJean landing in the NFC North, but with a different franchise. Reid sends DeJean to the Detroit Lions at No. 25 overall. Reid sees DeJean as a safety in Detroit for a secondary that needs all the help it can get.
Benjamin Solak, The Ringer
Benjamin Solak can be a bit polarizing as an analytics guy, but there's no discrediting his mock draft accuracy. In his final mock for The Ringer, Solak sends DeJean to the Philadelphia Eagles. Solak says DeJean can fight with James Bradberry for the No. 2 corner spot opposite of Darius Slay and move to safety if it doesn't work out.
There's no denying that landing in sea of defensive depth Philadelphia posseses afford plenty of patience for the early stages of DeJean's career.
Brendan Donahue, Sharp Football Analysis
You may not know Brendan Donahue's name, but according to The Huddle Report, he's the most accurate mock drafter out there over the past five years. As a bit of a disclaimer, Donahue's most recent mock on Sharp Football Analysis is from April 16, so this may not be his final mock draft.
Nonetheless, in his most recent projected selections, Donahue, like Kiper, has DeJean heading south to Jacksonville at No. 17 overall. Donahue's mock doesn't come with analysis, but the Jaguars are a team often connected with DeJean who need help in every area of their secondary.
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