Revenge of the Birds
Cardinals can no longer afford to pass on star quality players
Over the past two drafts, Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort has been hungry to trade down in order to acquire extra picks. In my opinion, that strategy has given the team added “quantity” at the expense of passing on star “quality.”
Watching The Eagles’ CB Cooper DeJean make a major impact on the team’s outstanding 40-22 rout of the Chiefs is a perfect example.
When the Cardinals were on the clock in the second round many of us here at ROTB were amazed that Cooper DeJean, mocked by some draft gurus as high as #9 in Round 1, was miraculously still on the board.
Yet for the second year in a row, Monti Ossenfort traded away his premier early 2nd round picks. Pick #34 in 2023. Pick #35 in 2024.
Quite frankly, I had never considered mocking Cooper DeJean to the Cardinals because I was expecting him to be off the board well before the Cardinals 2nd first round pick at #27. However, even though I had been mocking CB Mike Sainristil as my top choice for the Cardinals at pick #35, when I learned that Cooper DeJean was on the board, I was ecstatic. Go and take Cooper Dejean, man! I know that so many of you were as well.
Leave it to Cardinals to trade out of #35 and leave it to the Eagles to trade up at #40 to pluck him like a rose in full bloom.
2024 2nd Round CB Recap: (CBs with 500+ snaps)
* Pick #35 Cardinals trade out
* Pick #40 Eagles trade up to select Cooper DeJean (881 snaps --- 82.0)
* Pick #41 Saints select Kool-Aid McKinstry (680 snaps, 66.1)
* Pick #42 Texans select Kamari Lassiter (906 snaps, 74.7)
* Pick #43 Cardinals select Max Melton (565 snaps, 55.5)
* Pick #50 Commanders select Mike Sainristil (1,158 snaps, 65.8)
* Pick #64 49ers select Renardo Green (675 snaps, 67.2)
On X yesterday, while 42 fans agreed with my thoughts about Cooper DeJean, several fans were pushing back:
Dude was 2023 unanimous All-American, Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, while playing over 90% of his snaps at outside CB. Cooper DeJean was also Big Ten Punt Returner of the Year.
It’s amazing to me that just because a draft guru like Mel Kiper or Daniel Jeremiah suggests that Cooper DeJean could be a dynamo at slot CB, some folks take a suggestion like this as gospel.
It actually is the ultimate compliment to a CB draft prospect to suggest that he could be excellent covering the slot. That’s the most difficult cover for any defensive back. But what makes a player great at slot CB can also make him great on the perimeter, especially when that player is the complete package as a cover man and dawg=type tackler.
Then comes the argument that “we already have a slot CB in Garrett Williams.”
Not only would Cooper DeJean have been the...
