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The Philadelphia Eagles are going to need to rebuild the secondary this offseason.
Following a woefully disappointing finish to the 2023 campaign, highlighted by abysmal tackling in a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will likely go shopping for younger and more affordable cornerbacks.
Fortunately for Philadelphia, the 2024 Senior Bowl has featured several top prospects at the position, including Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, who was listed as a “perfect fit” for the Eagles in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
“The Eagles went from a 10-1 start to getting blown out in the wild-card round,” Chris Trapasso writes for CBS Sports. “For many reasons. One major component to the collapse was the porous secondary. Darius Slay and James Bradberry have nothing to be ashamed about. The veteran newcomers to Philly a few years ago together had an awesome run. But they’re both on the wrong side of 30 now.
“And the Eagles presumably still want to play plenty of man coverage on the perimeter. Mitchell has a case as the best man-to-man cornerback — with plus ball skills — in the 2024 class. All he did was defend 45 passes along with six interceptions in his final three seasons with the Rockets. My word.”
Slay and Bradberry struggled mightily down the stretch during the 2023 campaign, particularly in the wake of head coach Nick Sirianni benching former defensive coordinator Sean Desai in favor of Matt Patricia taking over defensive playcalling duties.
Following Vic Fangio’s arrival as incoming defensive coordinator, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see Roseman and the Eagles begin an overhaul of the cornerback room via free agency and the NFL Draft.
Quinyon Mitchell Scouting Report
Mitchell is the type of prospect who could meld talent with significant need on the Eagles’ draft board.
At 6-foot and 196 pounds, Mitchell has the length that defensive coordinators covet at the cornerback position, and plenty of physicality. During the 2023 season, Mitchell produced 41 total tackles with one interception and 18 pass breakups.
“Mitchell is an explosive and athletic cornerback prospect with the profile necessary to play press-man coverage on an island,” Justin Melo of the Draft Network writes. “With six interceptions and 44 pass break-ups over the past two seasons, Mitchell’s proven ball production should appeal to all 32 teams.”
Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus lists Mitchell as the No. 30 overall prospect in this year’s draft class, while giving the Toledo standout a 91.5 overall grade. According to PFF, opposing quarterbacks managed a meager 43.5 percent completion percentage when targeting him as he forced 17 interceptions, third-most among cornerback prospects.
Drafting Mitchell Would Buck an Eagles Trend
If Mitchell hears his name called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, it would reverse a longstanding draft trend for Roseman and the Eagles.
Philadelphia hasn’t chosen a cornerback in the second-round or higher since selecting Sidney Jones, out of the University of Washington, with the No. 43 overall pick in the second-round of the 2017 draft.
It is little wonder, given that the Eagles have spent big on veterans at the position such as Bradberry, Slay, and Bradley Roby that without investing premium draft capital at the position Philadelphia has had to settle for playing the likes of Zech McPhearson, Avonte Maddox, JaCorey Shepherd, and Randall Evans, among others, over the past seven seasons.
Mitchell would serve as a significant investment at a significant position of need that played a significant role in the Eagles’ 2023 collapse.