The best play of Super Bowl LIX happened at the hands of rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who managed to intercept Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for an electrifying pick-six.
But what's crazy to think is that moment might not have happened had the Eagles front office missed out on DeJean during the draft, which, according to a resurfaced video, is what general manager Howie Roseman and team owner Jeffrey Lurie briefly thought had happened.
In the video, Roseman and Lurie can be heard commiserating over what they believe is the loss of DeJean, whom they assumed would be going to the Los Angeles Rams with the 39th pick. But when the Rams select defensive tackle Braden Fiske instead, Lurie and Roseman immediately celebrate, with Roseman screaming "YES!" and pulling out his phone.
Roseman then makes the trade up that allows the Eagles to pick DeJean 40th overall before calling Coop with the good news. Knowing the rookie season he's about to have and the pick-six that will come, it's an incredibly exciting video to rewatch.
This DeJean Pick 6 almost never happened as on the 2nd day of the draft the Eagles were looking to trade up and draft him but before they could the Rams traded up the and Lurie/Roseman were convinced it was for DeJean with them both saying “that’s it.”
— Fly Eagles Fly Bets (@Fly_EaglesBets) February 14, 2025
To their surprise DeJean… https://t.co/Ks5f2Ade6c pic.twitter.com/MFxSRQO0OP
Roseman has received plenty of praise for his roster and cap management in the wake of the team's Super Bowl victory. In addition to DeJean, Roseman is responsible for bringing MVP-caliber running back Saquon Barkley to Philadelphia, perhaps the best free agency signing in history, as well as All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, among other notable wins in recent seasons (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter all come to mind).
If they're looking to score some Super Bowls in the next five years, maybe other GMs should start taking some notes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Video Resurfaces of Eagles' Near Miss On Draft Day Trade to Land Cooper DeJean.
