How Steelers Landed Cooper DeJean in FanNation Mock

The Pittsburgh Steelers end up with a star cornerback in the latest mock draft.

Noah Strackbein | Apr 19, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean (3) reacts during the / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

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Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- With the 20th pick in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean. At least that's how it went down in the latest FanNation mock draft.

With plenty of options on the board, and more needs than one pick can consist of, the Steelers needed to make a move for a star. Their obvious options were center, offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver. The big names were gone, with Jackson Powers-Johnson and JC Latham already off the board.

Pittsburgh could've went with Duke center Graham Barton, or Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims. But there's likely a group of players that, if available, the Steelers won't pass on. DeJean is most-likely on that list.

"DeJean fills a hole in the defensive backfield, allowing his versatility to fill the gap at slot cornerback or open the door for Donte Jackson to bounce inside. He could also play safety, allowing players such as Damontae Kazee or DeShon Elliott to move around," I wrote during the live mock.

DeJean comes to Pittsburgh with the expectation to play the slot cornerback role in 2024. He allows the Steelers to solidify their defense while still having options in the second round to select a center. Chances are, they're letting Dan Moore Jr. play offensive tackle this season, but Spencer Anderson playing on the right side and Broderick Jones moving to the left isn't out of the equation.

DeJean sitting there at No. 20 makes too much sense. Sometimes, you draft best player available. It's a philosophy the Steelers have used many times in the past, and in this mock draft, they used it again.

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Published Apr 19, 2024

NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.