The Eagles landed top cornerback prospect Quinyon Mitchell with the 22nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That’s quite a catch, or is it?
Why Mitchell will succeed:
He’s loyal
After Philadelphia selected Mitchell, former Alabama coach-turned-ESPN commentator Nick Saban confessed to targeting Mitchell in 2022.
"He was our No. 1 guy in the portal last year to try to get him to come out of the portal,” Saban said during the broadcast, “and he would never get in the portal."
With so many players manipulating the transfer portal these days, it's rare to see players stick with smaller programs. Bigger schools turned away when Mitchell was ruled academically ineligible in 2019, but Toledo stayed in touch and brought him on in 2020.
The last first-round cornerback worked out pretty well for Philadelphia
Granted, it was a long time ago, but in 2002, the Eagles drafted cornerback Lito Sheppard 26th overall. He’d play 126 games for the team, including Super Bowl XXXIX, while earning two Pro Bowl nominations and one All-Pro.
The Eagles' defense should be better in 2024
Not only did the team bring in Vic Fangio to take over the defense, but they also brought back safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had six interceptions in 12 games with the team in 2022. Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers should also help after serving a one-year suspension for gambling.
Just two years ago, Philadelphia owned the NFL’s best secondary. Things could be much different next season with a few tweaks and a player like Mitchell.
Quinyon Mitchell spoke with John Clark after the Eagles selected him 22nd overall and we learned some things about the young cornerback from Toledo. pic.twitter.com/h48jvogeCw
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 26, 2024
Why Mitchell won't succeed:
He played for a small school
For most people, the Toledo Rockets don’t spring to mind when talking about college football. Mitchell grew up in Florida but made Ohio his home as a three-star recruit out of high school.
His numbers with Toledo were great, especially in 2022, when his five interceptions and 19 pass deflections earned him first-team All-MAC honors. But how much competition did he get in the MAC? Snagging an interception from Eastern Michigan’s Cam’Ron McCoy is one thing; doing it against Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is quite another.
Late first-round picks never work out for the Eagles
Before Thursday night, Philadelphia had traded up in four of the last five drafts, for good reason. Danny Watkins, Marcus Smith, Andre Dillard and Jalen Reagor were each drafted in Mitchell’s range, and all were busts under general manager Howie Roseman.
Mitchell is joining a terrible defense
Philadelphia’s defense was so bad last year that the team demoted defensive coordinator Sean Desai mid-season and fired him in the offseason. The Eagles gave up 25.2 points per game in 2023, third-most in the NFL while allowing the second-most passing yards (252.7) per game.
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