Any time an NFL team drafts the same position with 2 picks in a row, it’s going to raise some eyebrows. When it’s with the first 2 picks in the same draft, it’s going to get tongues wagging.
Common sense tells us that any draft class should be a variety of positions. Drafting 2 players at the same position with your first 2 picks … when there’s already a bunch of elite players at that position … just doesn’t make sense.
Unless you’re the Philadelphia Eagles. If you’re the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman, it makes so much sense it ends up with the team winning a Super Bowl with the 2 picks helping lead the way — as rookies — and setting up for the next decade of dominance for the defense.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton called one of those players, 2024 first round pick (No. 21 overall) Quinyon Mitchell one of the NFL’s truly foundational players and someone who was able to establish himself an elite NFL cornerback as a rookie.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have two promising second-year players in their secondary. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean finished within the top four in Defensive Rookie of the Year votes,” Moton wrote on July 5. “As defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ponders a more versatile role for DeJean, who could see more snaps at safety in the upcoming term, Mitchell is locked into a starting role at a premium position.”
Looking Back at Mitchell’s Bravura Rookie Campaign
Mitchell was a plug-and-play starter for the Eagles. He started 16 games as a rookie and finished with 47 tackles and a whopping 12 pass deflections as he was named runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year to Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse.
While Mitchell didn’t have an interception during the regular season — mainly because teams started throwing away from him late in the year — he was arguably Philadelphia’s best defensive player on the way to a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his first 4 postseason games, Mitchell had 14 tackles, 4 pass deflections and 2 interceptions.
In college, 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 was good enough his rookie season that the Eagles didn’t blink an eye when longtime veteran cornerback Darius Slay — the top cornerback for the Eagles the last 5 years — signed a 1-year, $10 million free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bill Coming Due For Eagles On Defense
One of the more interesting developments to watch in the coming years is the number of Brinks Trucks full of cash the Eagles will have to personally deliver to young defensive stars.
Mitchell, who won’t receive his first contract extension until Spring 2027 at the earliest, is one of a pair of young Eagles defenders who could eventually become the highest paid players in the NFL at their position.
The other is NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who could reset the market with a contract extension following the 2025 season — a deal that will likely exceed the 5-year, $158.75 million contract signed by Kansas City’s Chris Jones in March 2024.
