Video Resurfaces of Eagles' Near Miss On Draft Day Trade to Land Cooper DeJean

Imagine a world where the Mahomes Pick-Six in the Super Bowl didn't happen.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean on Feb 14, 2025.
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean on Feb 14, 2025. / Caean Couto-Imagn Images
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The best play of Super Bowl LIX happened at the hands of rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who managed to intercept Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for an electrifying pick-six.

But what's crazy to think is that moment might not have happened had the Eagles front office missed out on DeJean during the draft, which, according to a resurfaced video, is what general manager Howie Roseman and team owner Jeffrey Lurie briefly thought had happened.

In the video, Roseman and Lurie can be heard commiserating over what they believe is the loss of DeJean, whom they assumed would be going to the Los Angeles Rams with the 39th pick. But when the Rams select defensive tackle Braden Fiske instead, Lurie and Roseman immediately celebrate, with Roseman screaming "YES!" and pulling out his phone.

Roseman then makes the trade up that allows the Eagles to pick DeJean 40th overall before calling Coop with the good news. Knowing the rookie season he's about to have and the pick-six that will come, it's an incredibly exciting video to rewatch.

Roseman has received plenty of praise for his roster and cap management in the wake of the team's Super Bowl victory. In addition to DeJean, Roseman is responsible for bringing MVP-caliber running back Saquon Barkley to Philadelphia, perhaps the best free agency signing in history, as well as All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, among other notable wins in recent seasons (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter all come to mind).

If they're looking to score some Super Bowls in the next five years, maybe other GMs should start taking some notes.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.