Cooper DeJean was one of the most exciting defensive prospects coming out of college in 2024. He was not only an elite cornerback — one of the toughest positions to play, and play well — but also a dynamic return man. The Iowa kid was rewarded quickly on Day 2 of the draft, going No. 40 overall.
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That said, little did DeJean know he was about to embark on one of the greatest rookie fairytales in recent NFL memory. He and fellow rookie DB Quinyon Mitchell quickly inserted themselves into the starting lineup for the dominant Philadelphia Eagles. They were both major pieces in one of the best defenses in the league, and DeJean saved his best for last.
On his 22nd birthday, he was playing in Super Bowl 59 against the greatest dynasty of our age: Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As the Eagles began to pull away in what turned out to be a blowout, DeJean read the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s eyes, picked him off, and returned it to pay dirt.
For that impressive run, and all his other efforts throughout the year, DeJean has been ranked No. 60 by his NFL peers in this year’s NFL Top 100 Players of 2025 list.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@Eagles CB Cooper DeJean makes his debut at No. 60! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/Zywtv0JM7t
— NFL (@NFL) July 28, 2025
It was clear that no one expected DeJean to make this list. The youngster himself was visibly surprised and humbled when he was told about the honor. Even his All-Pro teammate, linebacker Zack Baun (who is also likely to make his debut on the list this year), seemed pretty shocked that his rookie teammate had made it.
DeJean and his own teammates weren’t the only ones surprised by DeJean’s inclusion. Some fans on Reddit were downright baffled, while others seemed exasperated.
While we would understand these emotions for most sports awards and lists—as they are awarded by the media—this list is compiled from NFL player rankings, so it is funny to see average joes act like they know better.
“Same people that put Bo Nix ahead of Jordan Mailata, btw,” said one, perhaps not realizing that “same people” refers to NFL players themselves.
Another pointed out DeJean’s splash plays as the reason for his ranking, “Big highlight plays on Derrick Henry, Ja’Marr Chase, and Mahomes definitely help on Coop getting into this.”
Another joked about the pearl-clutching going on from fans: “The disrespect of those people. Who are they? Oh, NFL players voting on other players? Must suck to gain respect from them.”
This user claimed recency bias: “He’s good & just getting started, but this screams recency bias.” However, they were quickly shut down by another Eagles fan who said, “That’s the point of the list.”
And that last fan has a point. This is not a list of the greatest players playing in the NFL right now. This is a list of the 100 best players going into the 2025 season based on what they did in 2024. Recency bias is the name of the game.
However, we would tend to agree that No. 60 seems a little bit high for a guy with just 51 tackles, 0 interceptions, and nine starts in the regular season in his rookie year. We will grant, though, that Cooper DeJean is a much better tackler than we originally thought. Usually, a guy with that type of athleticism doesn’t focus on being physical. But not the kid from Iowa.