- Season-long dominance: From his first sport within the NFL, Quinyon Mitchell proved he’d be a cornerstone of the Eagles’ protection this season.
- Cooper DeJean got here on slowly and have become a key piece: Philadelphia did not totally combine DeJean into the lineup till Week 6, and he’s now one of many NFL’s highest-graded cornerbacks.
Estimated Studying Time: 3 minutes
Rookies typically have targets on their backs, particularly these in protection. First-year defensive backs are purported to be liabilities of their first seasons.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are outliers.
Mitchell and DeJean, who have been chosen within the first and second rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, respectively, didn’t want a lot time to stand up to hurry in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit. They’re already thought of among the many greatest at their positions forward of Tremendous Bowl 59.
Altogether, Philadelphia’s rookie duo has performed 1,934 snaps this season, serving to the Eagles’ protection rank second within the NFL in snaps by rookie defensive backs in 2024. Snaps aren’t all the time an indicator of a great participant, however Mitchell and DeJean are producing at a excessive degree.
Mitchell ranks eighth amongst cornerbacks in PFF total grade (78.4), whereas DeJean’s 82.0 mark is tied for third. Amongst 60 qualifying rookie cornerbacks over the previous six seasons, their PFF total grades rank third and seventh, respectively. Their play closely contributed to the Eagles having arguably the perfect protection within the NFL, a unit that allowed a league-best -0.12 anticipated factors added per play.
The twenty second total choose within the 2024 NFL Draft, Mitchell nearly solely performs on the skin on the suitable facet of the protection. He didn’t enable a landing in protection till Week 16, regardless of beginning your complete season, and has let up simply two scores all 12 months. Mitchell has additionally allowed only a 67.4 passer ranking, rating sixth lowest amongst 97 qualifying cornerbacks this season.
The Toledo product saved the perfect for final, upping his sport for the postseason. His 83.7 PFF total grade within the playoffs ranks second amongst 44 qualifying cornerbacks — and second amongst rookies over the previous six postseasons.
Not like Mitchell, DeJean wanted time to interrupt into the lineup. He performed solely eight snaps over Philadelphia’s first 4 weeks. That rapidly turned a factor of the previous. He not often left the sphere after the Eagles’ bye week and completed the season with 832 snaps on protection, 735 of which got here within the slot. DeJean is now one of many NFL’s greatest all-around slot defenders as a rookie.
Together with the playoffs, he owns a 79.0 PFF protection grade, tying with Mitchell for the sixth-highest mark within the league. Despite the fact that he has but to file his first NFL interception, DeJean has not allowed a landing all 12 months. And whereas the Iowa product is superb in protection, he’s even higher as a run defender, highlighted by his 90.4 PFF run-defense grade, the second-best grade amongst qualifying cornerbacks.
Whereas Mitchell and DeJean have completely different strengths and completely different roles and can face completely different challenges on Sunday, it’s not hyperbole to say that the Eagles wouldn’t be enjoying within the Tremendous Bowl with out the breakout seasons of their two rookie defensive backs.
