PHILADELPHIA – It would be easy for Cooper DeJean to let the moment get too big for him. He’s just 21, the youngest player on an Eagles team that is getting younger each year, and not quite two months younger than the next youngest player, Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.
DeJean won’t turn 22 until Feb. 8, shortly after Trotter hits that “ripe” age on Dec. 24. Yet, the rookie from Iowa has had a big impact on the defense since being inserted into the starting lineup after the bye week.
“It’s crazy to think about, 21 years old playing against grown men,” said DeJean. “But I think just growing up, my parents I feel like they helped me mature from a young age. They taught me how to work hard, taught me how to stay humble, and coming from a small town, I feel those are things that you gotta have, especially when you have dreams so big.”
The Eagles didn't see age when they drafted him in the second round, trading two premium picks awaay to NFC East rival Washington to move up to the 40th pick overall.
So how does one so young, and, like DeJean, look even younger, get to where he is today?
Born in South Dakota, DeJean and his family moved to Ida Grove, Iowa, a small town barely topping 1,000 people, where cattle is king and there are no stoplights, only stop signs and yield signs.
His parents nurtured his big dreams by keeping him and his two brothers busy with chores and work tailored to becoming a football standout.
“Our parents knew that we really liked sports, so they pushed us hard to work at those things because they knew that’s what we loved,” said DeJean. “That’s the things they pushed us to work hard at. They knew we had dreams and if you want to achieve those things, you can’t get there without working hard.”
Every now and then, he’d go to a friend’s house to help feed their cattle, but other than that his chores were the kind that every average young teenager would have, such as mowing the lawn, doing dishes, and more. He went to the University of Iowa, which helped his game grow even bigger.
He played all three positions in the secondary over his years with the Hawkeyes and, in his final season was a unanimous consensus All-American. He was also a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski (nation’s best defensive player) and Jim Thorpe (best DB in the nation) awards. He was the Big Ten’s Defensive Back of the Year with 41 tackles (26 solo), and two interceptions.
In his career, he had seven interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, 120 tackles (85 solo), and 20 passes defended in 30 games, 24 of which were starts.
Perhaps it’s a coincidence that the Eagles are 2-0 since DeJean was inserted as a starter after the Eagles bye week. Heading into Sunday’s game against the Bengals in Cincinnati (1 p.m./CBS), he has 10 tackles with a half-sack and one quarterback hit.
“He's very coachable,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “Got a good demeanor to play. I think that's a strength of his and will only get better. And I think the more he plays and the more experienced he becomes – you try and expose him to as much stuff as you can in practice, but obviously with the low reps of practice, you don't get that done always.
“But I do think he'll learn – he won't be a repeat offender. If he makes a mistake on something new, it will be in his memory bank and not happen again.”
There are things DeJean needs to work on from his slot position, such as man-to-man coverage. He has done well in zone defense, which was a defense primarily deployed by Fangio against the Giants.
“I just have to continue to get better at my techniques, especially in man coverage,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been trying to work on and really picking up information that the offense is giving us.
“The more reps I get out there, just kind of starting to realize what an offense is trying to do to us, understanding the areas where they can hurt us in certain coverages, and kind of thinking of the game within the game. The more comfortable you get out there, the more you can think about that.”
So far, so good. Especially for a player just 21.
