2024 NFL Mock Draft: Defensive chess piece falls into Bills’ lap in Round 1

An unanticipated selection, but hear us out…

One thing about the NFL Draft that remains a constant is that it’s impossible to predict how things will unfold. One surprising selection within the top 32 can quickly send things spiraling in a new direction. It’s a tale as old as time itself. Of course, with the Buffalo Bills set to select late in Round 1, what happens in front of them greatly affects their draft board 27 separate times.

The 2024 offseason departures of both starting safeties in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer along with the release of former star cornerback Tre’Davious White released shockwaves within the team’s secondary. Depth player and spot starter Dane Jackson also departed in free agency, leaving the Bills with short-term commitments at safety by the signing of Mike Edwards to a one-year deal and the re-signing of Taylor Rapp. Rapp’s contract reads three years, but is simple to get out of after just one season if the team so chooses — without hardly a dent in dead cap. Primary depth at corner is Kaiir Elam while safety depth consists of Damar Hamlin and Cam Lewis.

Couple this information with the lack of a contract extension for one of the perceived starters on the boundary in cornerback Rasul Douglas (who appears set to play out the final year of his contract), and things are more interesting than you’d think on the back end of the defense.

Sure, the Bills have locked in a unit for 2024 that’s plenty good enough to field and compete. But plenty of questions loom for the future of the room.

There’s one and only one player who would make sense for the team in the first round should a defensive back be the choice. More versatility is better for a team that could use any kind of difference maker on the defense that isn’t a linebacker.

Below, you’ll find the results of the latest installment in our mock draft simulation exercise. We used the 2024 NFL mock draft simulator from Pro Football Focus to complete this realistic first-round mock draft. It may shock some folks, but we’ve already explained some of the logic for why it could happen.

With the 28th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select…

Cooper DeJean, DB (Iowa)

I know this seems odd on the surface, and you’re probably mad this isn’t one of the multitude of first-round wide receivers that have been recycled over and over to the Bills in recent mock drafts, but DeJean does make sense if the draft board breaks a certain way and he falls.

As noted above, there are no long-term commitments to the safety room for Buffalo. Additionally, only Taron Johnson, Benford, and Elam are signed beyond this year in the cornerback room, with no signs Elam can hold up with any kind of consistency as a starter.

The Iowa Hawkeyes weren’t easy on the eyes over the last couple of seasons, with one of the most brutal-looking college offenses you’ll ever see. Despite the lethargy on one side of the ball, the Hawkeyes managed to keep weaseling their way into the top 25 of the college football polls week in and week out. But how?

Cooper DeJean is how. He did everything and more for Iowa the last two seasons and had the opportunity to line up all over the field — from slot, to safety, outside corner, and even linebacker. DeJean played all of those positions at a very high level. Instincts and ball-winning tendencies will allow him to align anywhere in the secondary for whatever team that chooses him, while trusting he’ll instantly be one of the most trusted tacklers on the team from day one.

He was also a key special teams ace who thrived as a punt returner. DeJean was more feared with the ball in his hands than any Hawkeyes offensive player by a wide margin, and he housed two clutch punt returns late in games in 2023 (one that was called back). All he did during his college career was make highly impactful plays and win his team games.

DeJean was injured late in the season this past year, suffering a broken leg, but he just recently got the opportunity to workout for teams again where he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and jumped 38 ¹⁄₂“ on the vertical. That athleticism shows up when watching him as a returner and in the air making plays on the football — he had 20 passes defensed and seven interceptions over the last two seasons.

If the Bills are looking for an impactful player who takes the ball away and is never afraid to stamp his name in the face of the big moment, Cooper DeJean makes a ton of sense — if he were to fall to pick No. 28. Is it the biggest position of need? Surely it’s not. But the NFL Draft is about acquiring the best football players teams can find, and loading the roster up for years to come.

As mentioned above, the secondary isn’t squeaky clean with perfection and surely not immune to questions of the future. I fully trust that Cooper DeJean is a darn good football player, who would find a perfect home playing for head coach Sean McDermott.