The Philadelphia Eagles are not short on talent when it comes to young talent on the roster that can be long-term stays. Especially on defense.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been able to find some top talent through the draft over the last five years on defense. Guys like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Nakobe Dean, and Nolan Smith Jr. were all found and are starters in 2025.
Philly's biggest problem now is which ones they will be able to keep, as it will be challenging to pay them all. One player in particular could hold more value to the future of the franchise than the others.
Mitchell is a cornerstone piece to the Eagles' roster for years to come
Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton named the most promising building block players on each NFL team. For the Eagles, Moton likes Mitchell to be that guy in the secondary.
"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.
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.
After five years in Philadelphia, Darius Slay signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. So, Mitchell, in his second season, is the Eagles' top cornerback.
Last season, Mitchell tied for second on the team in pass breakups with 12. Though he didn't log an interception in the regular season, he forced a couple of takeaways in the playoffs.
Mitchell came up short on votes for top rookie defender, but he'll earn accolades as a Pro Bowl or All-Pro player early in his career."
During his rookie season, Mitchell racked up 46 tackles and 12 pass deflections in 16 starts and held quarterbacks to a completion percentage of 54.7% and a passer rating of 87.2. While he received some criticism for not recording a single interception in the regular season, he more than made up for it with two interceptions in the Eagles' postseason run to the Super Bowl.
Pro Football Focus has been the ultimate hype man for Mitchell during the offseason, sharing his strong grades after his rookie season. Mitchell was ranked as the 16th best cornerback in the NFL by PFF, as the website's advanced coverage grade had him sixth overall, and standard coverage grades were ninth. He and DeJean were both ranked at the top in man coverage, according to the site as well.
DeJean got a lot of attention last year, especially after his pick-six in the Super Bowl, which is well deserved, but not nearly enough love was given to Mitchell. Last year, Mitchell started on the outside all season, except for the final regular-season game, and proved he can shut down the best receivers in the league.
Read more:This Eagle isn't close to retirement, but is already first ballot Hall of Famer
Going into 2025, no one is sleeping on Mitchell anymore as he has a real shot at being one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. The Eagles need to hold on to him for as long as possible because he has changed the game in the secondary in Philly.