The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was chock full of surprises — and offensive stars.
Six quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks. The first 14 selections belonged to offensive players, setting a record for the longest lag time before any defensive stars were taken. In all, only nine defenders were selected on Day 1.
This led to some surprising omissions — including the heart of one of college football’s best defenses. Cooper DeJean was the playmaking cornerback that helped Iowa get to 10 wins despite the FBS’s worst offense. The Hawkeyes couldn’t score on anyone, but it barely mattered because DeJean and company were there to bail them out.
But DeJean was sidelined with a broken fibula that ended his season in November and kept him from workout out at the combine. While that didn’t stop him from being named the Big Ten defensive back of the year, it did drop his estimation in scouts’ eyes. He came back to run a 4.4-second 40 at 6-feet and 202 pounds at Iowa’s pro day, but it wasn’t enough to crack a first round where only three cornerbacks were selected.
Fortunately for DeJean, there are plenty of teams thirsty for secondary help waiting atop the second round of the draft.