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Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean said he has recently started to run at full speed, acknowledging he is still recovering from the broken leg that ended his final season with the Hawkeyes early.
DeJean said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine that he suffered a fractured fibula during a mid-November practice and underwent surgery. DeJean missed the Hawkeyes’ final four games of the season, including the Big Ten championship game.
Discussing the injury publicly for the first time and calling it “kind of a freak thing,” DeJean said he still plans to have an on-campus workout for NFL evaluators before the April draft.
“I’ve been rehabbing ever since,” DeJean said of the injury. “[I] just started running full speed last week. I plan on working out at some point before the draft. … I am [medically] cleared. I’m just progressing right now.”
DeJean, who is the No. 15 player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest Big Board, said he will not work out at the combine or at Iowa’s pro day, which is scheduled for March 18.
“I’ll work out some time before the draft … sometime definitely before the draft — early April,” DeJean said. “I just started running full speed last week, so I haven’t been able to train like I want to.”
The Odebolt, Iowa, native said the teams he has met with have said they see him as an option at cornerback, in the slot and even for some snaps at safety. He had seven career interceptions and returned three of those for touchdowns.
DeJean also returned 31 punts in his three seasons at Iowa, averaging 13.1 yards per return with one touchdown.
“Being able to play multiple different positions, I think that’s an advantage coming into this league, to be able to play wherever they put me,” DeJean said. “It doesn’t matter to me, to be honest. I just want to play ball.”
