Cooper DeJean does not lack confidence. But, why should he? The Iowa Hawkeyes’ star defensive back is slated to go in the first round of the NFL Draft and is one of the best defensive backs to ever wear the tigerhawk helmet.
He happened to be at Iowa the same time as another all-time great, Caitlin Clark. She is the most recent Iowa Hawkeye to be drafted as she went No. 1 in the WNBA Draft recently. Despite being the all-time NCAA scoring leader, DeJean thinks he could take her one-on-one on the basketball court.
DeJean met with CBS Sports to talk about his draft process and he let them know that during the interview process teams asked if he could beat her on the basketball court.
“I said that I think I could win,” DeJean said Tuesday in an interview with CBS Sports.
DeJean’s answer caught me off guard, and he could tell.
“You don’t think I can win?” he asked, which I responded by reminding him that Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall draft pick, is widely considered to be the greatest women’s basketball player ever. In DeJean’s defense, he does have a hoops background. In high school, he was a three-time letter winner at point guard.
“She’d definitely score on me, for sure, but I think I could pull it off,” said DeJean, who added that Clark’s shooting prowess would be his biggest challenge. “It would be close, though. … She can shoot from anywhere, I think.” – Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports
Cooper DeJean is no slouch on the court. Everyone knows his collegiate All-American status on the gridiron, but in high school, he could light it up on the court. DeJean scored 1,832 points during his high school basketball career and is the state’s all-time steals leader, which is fitting for his ability to create turnovers in football.
Next up for Cooper DeJean is the opportunity to hear his name called in the NFL Draft and become the next Hawkeye to continue to NFL pipeline. While we can hope that the Clark vs. DeJean matchup happens one day, we may have to wait as each are getting the professional careers underway.
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