Philadelphia Eagles select Iowa cornerback — Wisconsin football’s mortal enemy

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to No. 40 overall in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft to select Iowa cornerback Cooper Dejean.

We will leave the analysis of the pick to our friends at Eagles Wire and Hawkeyes Wire. The Wisconsin-related angle to the pick, and to the second night of the draft: DeJean is finally gone from the Iowa defense after terrorizing the Badgers for years.

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DeJean first found a role with the Hawkeyes as a kick returner in 2021. Wisconsin dominated that matchup, 27-7, while the star cornerback returned one kick for 20 yards. He was quiet during that first matchup.

2022 is when the domination began. The Badgers, led by interim head coach Jim Leonhard, dropped a tough contest in Iowa City, 24-10. DeJean had four punt returns for a back-breaking 82 yards, plus 10 total tackles, one tackle for loss and one 32-yard pick six. Iowa totaled 146 yards on offense that afternoon. The star defensive back accounted for nearly every Hawkeye point.

This trend continued in 2023. In Wisconsin’s 15-6 loss to Iowa, DeJean totaled three tackles, including one critical tackle for loss on fourth-and-1 inside Hawkeyes territory.

Wisconsin must turn around its performances against Iowa if Luke Fickell and his staff are to turn the Badgers into a Big Ten contender. The Hawkeyes will still be strong on defense, but at least DeJean is gone from the secondary and the special teams unit.

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Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire