It's safe to say that the Philadelphia Eagles hit the nail on the head when they selected Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at No. 22 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Mitchell has not skipped a beat this offseason, even with how much the Birds have put on his plate by having him line up everywhere in the secondary.
In fact, he's doing so well transitioning to the next level that he's already received a raving review for efforts this offseason from one of the toughest coaches in the league: Eagles' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“He’s been great since the day we got him,” Fangio told reporters following Sunday's training camp practice “He works really hard. He's focused in meetings, not just on the practice field. We have put a lot on his plate, like I've said. He hasn't backed down from it at all. He's going to be a good player in this league.”
Fangio wouldn't go ahead and name Mitchell a starter, but all signs point toward him starting Week 1 in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.
Mitchell has recently taken first-team reps at outside cornerback opposite Darius Slay and in the nickel position, which is where the Eagles need the most help at the moment with fellow rookie Cooper DeJean dealing with a hamstring injury.
“The nickel is going to be out on the field by today's standards 70-85% of the time,” Fangio said. “It's an important position. And whatever our best combination is, is what we'll go with.”
Through two preseason games so far, Mitchell has played 29 coverage snaps, allowing just 8 yards and logged one incompletion.
Fans will get one more look at him on Saturday in the preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings before games start to matter.
