Where Cooper DeJean ranks among ESPN’s NFL luxury players in 2025

It took one year. One. That’s all Cooper DeJean needed to prove he’s not just good, not just promising — but flat-out special. And the scariest part? He hasn’t even hit his ceiling yet. After just one season in the NFL, DeJean is already being talked about as the best slot corner in the entire league.

And oh yeah — the guy lined up next to him? Fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell, who already looks like one of the top outside corners in football. This Eagles secondary went from a laughingstock to one of the best young units, if not the best in the entire league.

Cooper DeJean: Super Bowl moment in history as a rookie…

This is Cooper DeJean’s first NFL career interception.

That he returns for a touchdown.

In the Super Bowl.

On his 22nd birthday.

Unreal. pic.twitter.com/NZqq34eO3D

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) February 10, 2025

Coop didn’t even step on the field until after the Eagles’ Week 5 bye last season. But once he did? It was night and day.

Before the bye, the Eagles’ defense ranked 26th in EPA per play. Post-bye? They were the best defense in the NFL by that same metric. Not second, not top five — number one. And no, I’m not giving all the credit to one guy, but Cooper DeJean’s arrival wasn’t some coincidence. It was the catalyst.

From Week 6 on, DeJean allowed minus-22.7 EPA as the nearest defender in coverage, second-best in the entire league behind only Nate Wiggins — another rookie. And get this: he was targeted 68 times and didn’t give up a single touchdown. Not one. And obviously all of this being capped off with that pick 6 on Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl is just chief’s kiss.

He’s Everywhere and Nowhere You Want To Be

Vic Fangio knows what kind of weapon he has in DeJean, and he’s made it clear: Cooper’s going to be on the field every single snap.

“He would play very well at safety,” Fangio said this spring. “I think it suits his skill set, things that he does well. I just think he would do very well in there.”

DeJean didn’t take any safety snaps during media-attended practices, but he’s repping outside corner in base defense and moving inside in sub-packages. He even admitted that he’s learning the safety role.

“On the inside, you got to prepare more to fit the run and be able to cover and do all those things,” DeJean said. “Corner it’s more worrying about covering the top guy, top receiver with a lot of space. But I did a little bit in college. I’ve been doing it a little bit early on in OTAs. Wherever they need me to be, that’s what I’ll do.”

That right there is a coach’s dream. High IQ, no ego, willing to do it all — and already elite in coverage. A testament to Cooper DeJean obviously but to Howie Roseman’s eye for talent as well as high-character guys, which this Eagles roster is loaded with.

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