With the conclusion of the Super Bowl, all 32 NFL teams have shifted their focus to the off-season and, more importantly, the 2024 NFL Draft. Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy took this opportunity to drop his two-round mock draft, filled with new faces for football fans to get excited about.
Popejoy decided to forgo the quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings and take the Swiss Army knife out of Iowa, cornerback Cooper DeJean with the 11th pick.
This could be a spot where the Vikings shock everyone and take a quarterback but instead we go with something a little safer in Iowa do-it-all defensive back Cooper DeJean.
DeJean would be a seamless fit in Brian Flores’ defense. Flores used players throughout the secondary (Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon, Josh Metellus, etc.) in various spots all around the field. DeJean’s athleticism gives him the ability to be yet another chess piece for Flores to use to confuse opposing quarterbacks.
Speaking of quarterbacks, Popejoy sees an opportunity to take a shot at the future franchise quarterback in the second round and doesn’t let it pass. With the 42nd pick, Minnesota takes Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
At 42, no matter if Kirk Cousins returns, the value of a possible franchise quarterback is too much to ignore at the top of the second round. Washington made it to the National Championship game this year, mostly behind their explosive offense led by Penix. While there are some injury concerns (two ACL injuries and two dislocated shoulders), if he becomes a Viking, he would have a great chance to thrive under Kevin O’Connell and the weapons in this offense.
