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As the 2024 NFL draft unveiled itself, the Philadelphia Eagles sat and waited with the No. 22 overall pick. They watched as one offensive player after another went off the board — an NFL record 14 straight offensive picks to start the draft. Another NFL record 6 quarterbacks in the first 12 picks alone.
The Eagles were not swayed. They went with defense and their future may have been set in the process, taking back-to-back cornerbacks with Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean in the second round — arguably both top 5 NFL rookies on the defensive side of the ball.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski gave Mitchell as shining, “A” grade in handing out grades for all 32 first-round picks ahead of a Week 14 home game against the Carolina Panthers — one of just 5 “A” grades out of 32 picks.
The Eagles are currently 10-2 and on an 8-game winning streak.
“The crafty defensive back showed off college football’s best ball skills, but his value took off upon showing how well he can cover man-to-man at this year’s Senior Bowl,” Sobleski wrote. “The rookie hasn’t backed down from any assignment and has been a big reason behind Philadelphia’s transformation from a bottom-seven defense to this year’s top-ranked unit. In the Eagles’ current eight-game winning streak, Mitchell has allowed 30 or fewer yards into his coverage during each of those contests, per Pro Football Focus.”
From MAC Star to NFL Shutdown Cornerback
Mitchell has been a plug-and-play starter for the Eagles — he’s started all 12 games his rookie year and has 37 tackles with 10 pass deflections.
Mitchell was a 2-time All-American at Toledo and became the school’s first Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist in 2023 after setting a school career record with 46 pass breakups. He followed that by wowing scouts at the NFL combine with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash.
Mitchell became the first MAC player selected in the first round since Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis in 2017 and the first Toledo player selected in the first round since defensive tackle Dan Williams in 1993.
Mitchell, DeJean Represent Stunning Bargain
With Mitchell, the Eagles have what appears to be a long-term CB1. Paired with another standout rookie in DeJean they could have solidified their secondary for the foreseeable future.
Whatever happens down the road, the Eagles have set themselves up for one of the NFL’s all-time financial bargains in terms of a defensive backfield for the next 2-3 seasons.
Consider this: Mitchell and DeJean, who might eventually move to safety, are playing on a pair of 4-year contracts worth a combined $24 million — of which $12.757 million will have already been paid out after their rookie years mostly in the form of signing bonuses.
Conservatively, the Eagles probably won’t consider contract extension for either player until after their third seasons, in 2026, which means at least 2 more seasons of budget-basement prices for what could quickly become 2 of the best defensive backs in the NFL.
“Between Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean, it looks like the Eagles could have a franchise-altering draft class on their hands,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes wrote on her official X account on November 14.
In comparison, the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL in terms of overall contract, Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (5 years, $100.5 million), is ranked 37th out of 212 NFL cornerbacks according to PFF — 14 spots behind Mitchell and 32 spots behind DeJean in terms of production.
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