Looking back on the 2024 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles have fond memories of selecting Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and Cooper DeJean in the second round. Both have become studs in their rookie seasons.
If the rest of the league went back in time and reselected the draft class, the Eagles might not be as lucky as they were. Sports Illustrated writer Daniel Flick went through this scenario and he has the Miami Dolphins taking Mitchell one pick before the Eagles. That would leave Philadelphia with DeJean to take with their 22nd overall pick.
"The Eagles restocked their future at cornerback during the 2024 draft but don’t get the same tandem this time around. DeJean, a fourth-place rookie of the year finisher, started all four of Philadelphia’s postseason games and etched his name into team history with a 38-yard pick-six in the Super Bowl. The Eagles would surely love to make similar memories moving forward."
In the second round, the Eagles would stay at corner like they did in real life and select current Detroit Lion Terrion Arnold.
"The Eagles nabbed DeJean with their first-round pick in the re-draft, and considering the success of their real-life cornerback double dip, why not follow the blueprint in the re-draft? Arnold has all the talent to be a successful cornerback in the NFL, and he flashed in 15 starts as a rookie. However, Arnold struggled with penalties early as a pro and had coverage inconsistencies throughout the season. He’s more than capable of living up to his first-round expectations and will get the opportunity to start again in 2025, but he has to capitalize."
One other aspect of the redraft is that later in the second round, the Eagles would lose edge rusher Jalyx Hunt to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 57th overall pick. Hunt went in the third round to the Eagles last year.
Tough losses for Eagles in redraft scenario
Mitchell and Hunt's losses would be detrimental to the franchise's future. The secondary would take a hit with Arnold having to play on the outside and DeJean in the slot. It would still be solid as Arnold allowed a 55.6% completion percentage and a passer rating of 93.7. Mitchell is still the better coverage corner compared to Arnold.
Hunt is a hit at edge rusher as he is projected to be a starter this upcoming season. It would make some wonder whether Bryce Huff would still be on the team if they didn't have Hunt on the team. Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche would be further along in the edge rusher job.
It does beg the question of whether the Eagles would still win the Super Bowl without the contributions of Mitchell and Hunt, or if anything would change. In the immediate time, things would probably stay the same, but 2025 and beyond might look different.
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This is a scenario Eagles fans would rather not think about, as Hunt and Mitchell are too vital to the team's success this year. It's a good thing there are no redos in the draft.