If the Buffalo Bills wait to draft a WR, is this cornerback the right first-round pick?
Many expect the Buffalo Bills to go after a wide receiver in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.
However, general manager Brandon Beane said if there are none to his liking that he will pivot to a player from another position.
Would that pivot mean the Bills would take a defensive end? Or perhaps a cornerback?
Leading up to the draft, we take a more in-depth look at some of the players the Buffalo Bills could potentially pick with their first-round pick, which, barring a trade, will be 28th overall.
Cooper DeJean, Iowa, CB
Height, weight: 6-0 1/2, 203 pounds
Vitals: 40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds; Vertical: 38.5 inches.
Numbers: 120 tackles, 85 solo, 7 INTs for 132 yard and 3 TDs in 30 career games.
FYI: Chose to play defense at Iowa over quarterback at South Dakota State. ... Did not participate in NFL Combine while recovering from broken fibula. ... one of Bills' Top 30 visits.
The skinny: First team AP All-American. ... First-team All-Big Ten. ... Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. ... Jim Thorpe finalist. ... 2022: Second-team All-Big Ten. ... His 3 INTs returned TDs tied for most in FBS. ... Music City Bowl MVP. ... High school: 2021 All-American Bowl Adidas Player of the Year. ... His 1,832 points in basketball rank him second behind former Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson, and one spot ahead of former McDonald's and Parade All-American Harrison Barnes, in Iowa state history.
The scouting report: Projected to be a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, he's an elite defensive back who also excels on special teams. ... Can play safety or cornerback. ... One knock is he hasn't really faced much competition.
The bottom line: Should the Bills decide to pivot and select something other than a wide receiver, DeJean would be a logical pick.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cooper DeJean is potential NFL draft pick for Bills: What to know
