During his 25+ years as the head coach at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz has seen a lot of players selected in the NFL Draft -- 87 to be precise. 12 of those 87 were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Of those 87 players drafted, 18 were defensive backs. But he's never had a defensive back taken in the first round -- until now.
Cooper DeJean, a unanimous All-American and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2023, is widely projected to be selected sometime in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night (7 PM CT, ABC/ESPN/NFL Network). Assuming that projection is accurate, DeJean will become the first defensive back of the Ferentz Era to be taken in the first round.
Iowa has had many excellent defensive backs over the last quarter-century -- including Bob Sanders, Sean Considine, Bradley Fletcher, Tyler Sash, Desmond King, Amani Hooker, and Riley Moss, to name a handful -- but none of them heard their names called during the first round of the NFL Draft. In fact, no Iowa defensive back has been taken in the first round since Tom Knight was taken 9th overall by San Francisco in 1997. That looks poised to change this year with DeJean, the latest standout defender to emerge from Phil Parker's tutelage.
Assuming the first round projections for DeJean prove accurate he'll also continue Iowa's recent trend of success in the first round -- the Hawkeyes have had at least one player taken in the first round in two straight seasons and in four of the last five seasons. That's a remarkable track record of developing players into potential stars -- especially since only one of those players (Tristan Wirfs) was ranked higher than a three-star prospect entering Iowa.
PROJECTIONS
Four Iowa players were taken in the NFL Draft last year and four players have a good shot at hearing their names called at some point during the draft this season. The Hawkeyes have had at least four players drafted in four of the past five seasons.
They would have been a lock to have 4+ players drafted -- and likely would have had at least 6-7 players selected -- if not for several potential draft picks opting to return to Iowa City for another season, including Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Sebastian Castro, and Luke Lachey. That quartet should provide a very solid foundation for Iowa's draft class next year, though.
ESPN: Round 1, #29, Detroit Lions
NFL.com: Round 1, #27, Arizona Cardinals
Pro Football Focus: Round 1, #17, Jacksonville Jaguars
CBS: Round 1, #21, Indianapolis Colts
The Athletic: Round 1, #23, Arizona Cardinals
Yahoo!: Round 1, #19, Los Angeles Rams
NFL.com Projection: Round 1
DeJean is overwhelmingly projected to go in the first round; the only questions are when and which team takes him. He's also widely expected to go in the second half of the first round, likely in the 20s in terms of picks.
If DeJean is taken in the first round he would join elite company as just the third Iowa defensive back to be selected in the first round. Tom Knight, taken 9th in 1997, and Craig Clemons, taken 12th in 1972, are the only other Hawkeye defensive backs to be drafted in the first round.
ESPN: Round 6, #199, New Orleans Saints
NFL.com: Round 6, #219, Green Bay Packers
Pro Football Focus: n/a
CBS: n/a
The Athletic: Round 5, #150, New Orleans Saints
NFL.com Projection: Round 4/Round 5
Tory Taylor is unquestionably a great player; he shattered records en route to being named a unanimous All-American and winning the Ray Guy Award last season. Unfortunately, he plays a position (punter) that is not widely valued in the NFL Draft. That's reflected in his projections; two of the mock drafts didn't have him getting drafted at all. (Neither mock draft had any specialists being selected in this year's draft.)
Still, NFL teams tend to value punters a bit more than draft experts, since punters do still get drafted -- three punters were selected last year and four were taken in 2022. Since 2000, at least one punter has been drafted in 22 of the last 24 drafts.
No punter has been drafted sooner than the fourth round since Bryan Anger was taken in the third round in 2012. Only three punters have been drafted in the fourth round since then, most recently Jordan Stout and Jake Camarda in 2022. Rounds 5-7 tend to be where punters get taken if they get drafted at all, so that figures to be where Taylor is most likely to be selected.
Taylor would become the first punter of the Ferentz Era to be drafted if he hears his name called this weekend. He would also be just the second Iowa punter to ever be drafted, joining the great Reggie Roby, who was taken in the sixth round in 1983.
ESPN: Round 6, #182, Tennessee Titans
NFL.com: Round 7, #226, Arizona Cardinals
Pro Football Focus: Round 4, #118, Seattle Seahawks
CBS: Round 5, #147, Denver Broncos
The Athletic: Round 6, #194, Cincinnati Bengals
NFL.com Projection: Round 5/Round 6
All has probably the widest range of possible draft outcomes among Iowa's likely draft picks; of the five mock drafts cited above, All is listed in four different rounds, ranging from the fourth to the seventh. Despite spending just one year in Iowa City, All will ikely benefit from Iowa's Tight End U reputation -- the Hawkeyes have had 12 tight ends drafted during the Ferentz Era and three of the last four (George Kittle, TJ Hockenson, and Sam LaPorta) have become Pro Bowlers.
Durability is the biggest red flag for All; a back injury kept him out of action for much of 2022 and he was only able to play half a season at Iowa before an ACL injury ended his year in 2023. Over the past two seasons, All has played in just 10 games.
ESPN: Round 6, #209, Los Angeles Rams
NFL.com: Round 7, #225, Los Angeles Chargers
Pro Football Focus: Round 5, #158, Miami Dolphins
CBS: Round 7, #224, Cincinnati Bengals
The Athletic: Round 7, #250, Baltimore Ravens
NFL.com Projection: Round 7/FA
Lee turned some heads with a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine and his durability is an asset -- he started every game for three straight seasons. While Lee was a very solid performer at Iowa, NFL scouts have questions about how his strength will hold up at the next level. He also lacks ideal explosion or foot speed, which makes him more likely to be selected near the end of the draft.
Undrafted Free Agents
The vast majority of mock drafts don't include any other Hawkeyes being selected in the seven rounds of the NFL Draft. A few other Iowa players could still get signed as undrafted free agents, including OL Rusty Feth and DL Noah Shannon and Joe Evans. Evans played defensive end at Iowa, but could wind up in more of a fullback/tight end/h-back role if he can make an NFL roster.
The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled to take place in Detroit from April 25-27, with TV coverage on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. The first round of the NFL Draft is scheduled to begin at 7 PM CT on Thursday, April 25.
