Seeing white dudes in an NFL secondary, particularly at the cornerback position? It’s like seeing a unicorn in the wilderness. A rare breed indeed. It’s unclear whether Philadelphia Eagles second-round pick Cooper DeJean will line up at safety or corner, but he aligned on the boundary plenty in college at Iowa, and most of the Eagles’ corners are either aging or not very good. Hence one of the reasons wheeling/dealing GM Howie Roseman traded up to draft DeJean in the first place.
In a recent team photo shoot, Philadelphia paired DeJean up for several action shots alongside a fellow white boy unicorn, safety Reed Blankenship.
Cooper DeJean x Reed Blankenship 🦅 pic.twitter.com/IUg7R2QrId
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) June 15, 2024
What seemed to be a rather innocuous, unassuming set of photos turned into a meme/nickname christening fest for the ages. NFL Twitter was in rare form here.
SeconDairy
— Paul C (@HurtsyIvania) June 15, 2024
The Milk Factory 🥛
— KK (@kevondsmith) June 15, 2024
WHITE BOY SUMMER
— Davey (@Daveydelphia76) June 15, 2024
gouda baker and troy polamallow
— Fereal (@MikeFereaL) June 16, 2024
NFC Eastie Boys
— Big Ol 🐰 ⭐️👻⭐️ (@UnknownGho5t) June 15, 2024
— Big B (@BWareLaFlare) June 15, 2024
— Al Hamilton (@MrKingdomFit) June 15, 2024
the white walkers
— Shaq (@Shaq_0x) June 16, 2024
White Noise
— atmjedi55 (@atmjedi55) June 15, 2024
The cream team
— Eagles Indigestion (@Eaglesindgest) June 15, 2024
Milk studs
— Nano (@EmiliNanoo) June 15, 2024
(White) lightning does indeed strike twice 😂
— Birds Banter (@birdsbanter) June 15, 2024
Special teams and kickoff returns in particular are coming more into focus ahead of the 2024 NFL season due to rules changes. DeJean was a dynamic return man at Iowa, so that only adds to his value. He figures to make a huge impact in his rookie season, along with first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. I had Mitchell as my seventh-ranked player in the 2024 draft, and DeJean at No. 10. They’re a big part of why I thought Philly had the third-best draft class in the league.
One of the most overlooked defensive backs in the sport today, though, is Blankenship. He’s already emerged as a high-quality starting safety after going undrafted in 2022 out of Middle Tennessee State. A groin injury late in the 2023 campaign that required offseason surgery and kept him out of the playoffs was one of many factors that contributed to the Eagles’ stunning downfall from a 10-1 start to a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers on Wild Card Weekend.
So here’s the thing — and why the Dallas Cowboys should be very worried as they go “all-in” for this year to use Jerry Jones’ words. If Mitchell and DeJean are as great of prospects as I think they are, Darius Slay Jr. gives Philly one more quality season, and Blankenship stays healthy, this Eagles secondary will transform from a weakness to a strength. Combine that with their always-stacked defensive line, and any opponent is going to have their work cut out to beat them.
I’ll play you out with the funny behind-the-scenes NFL Draft video of the Commanders and Eagles negotiating the trade that ultimately led to DeJean landing in the City of Brotherly Love.
Here's #Eagles GM Howie Roseman and #Commanders GM Adam Peters discussing their Round 2 trade, which landed Philadelphia CB Cooper DeJean.
Roseman insisted on including pick 210 instead of 161.
Peters: "You're a pain in the a**" 😂😂
Howie eventually gave in.
This is A++… pic.twitter.com/8wQ0EDbPGj
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 14, 2024
…And for obvious reasons, why not sprinkle in a little bit of Jason Sehorn? This sizzle reel went up a matter of days ago.
One of greatest corners in Giants history: Jason Sehorn pic.twitter.com/41DgGCou91
— NFL (@NFL) June 14, 2024
