Mina Kimes' take on Cooper DeJean proves Packers made Jordan Morgan mistake

NFL general managers have forgotten more than we'll ever know. As fans, we get it.

Despite that, sometimes fans are right. It seemed everyone outside of 1265 Lombardi Ave knew how badly the Green Bay Packers needed cornerback help—everyone except the most important decision-makers.

The Packers selected Jordan Morgan in the first round, who has shown some potential as an interior lineman but has failed to win the starting right guard job ahead of Sean Rhyan. Despite the team saying all the right things about Morgan being able to play at tackle, we've seen no evidence of that. The Packers used him almost exclusively at guard throughout training camp, and that's where he plays on Sundays (well, when he's not on the bench).

At this point, general manager Brian Gutekunst has doubled and tripled down on his overconfidence in the Packers' cornerback room—to his defense, he's hardly going to throw them under the bus now. Outside of Jaire Alexander, the results simply haven't been there, and it doesn't help that Alexander continues to miss time through injury.

According to PFF, Packers corners not named Jaire Alexander have allowed 56 of 82 completions (68.3 percent) for 597 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions, good for a passer rating of 117.8.

The Packers put too much hope into Eric Stokes recapturing his rookie form and former seventh-rounder Carrington Valentine building off a promising rookie campaign. The secondary is still reeling from the Rasul Douglas trade. Unfortunately, they passed on opportunities to find upgrades in the draft.

Green Bay couldn't have found two better fits for their system than Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. In February, we ranked them Nos. 1 and 2 in our list of dream draft targets. Green Bay had the chance to select both. The Philadelphia Eagles did exactly that, using their top two selections to land the talented cornerback duo.

Mina Kimes' Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean praise proves Packers wrong

Morgan also checked a lot of boxes, but the concerns over his ability to play tackle in the pros were enough reason to pause. Mitchell and DeJean offered game-changing potential at a premium position (and an area of need).

ESPN's Mina Kimes and Benjamin Solak broke down the impact they've made in Philadelphia, and it's heartbreaking from a Green Bay perspective.

"Between Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, it looks like the Eagles could have a franchise-altering draft class on their hands," Kimes writes.

Unfortunately for the Packers, Kimes is absolutely right.

Per PFF, before the Eagles' Thursday Night Football matchup, Mitchell and DeJean had allowed a combined 40 completions on 66 targets (60.6 percent) for 399 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and nine pass breakups, for a passer rating of just 77.8.

Solak shed some light on the impact the rookie combination has made in Philadelphia's secondary.

"They introduced DeJean into the defense, and to this point now, they've ratcheted up how much man coverage they can play. They have ratcheted how much press they play," said Solak. "DeJean is the sexy name. He came in midseason and has been a big part of their change, but Quinyon has been unbelievable on the outside."

Ugh. It hurts. Sounds like a perfect fit in Jeff Hafley's scheme, if you ask me, and the Packers had the chance to draft both of them.

How Packers could've drafted Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean

Due to an early run on quarterbacks that pushed the best defensive players down the board, Mitchell surprisingly fell to the 22nd overall pick, where the Eagles selected him. Gutekunst has proven he will trade up if necessary to land a top target, and it wouldn't have required breaking the bank to make a deal with the Miami Dolphins at No. 21 or the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20.

The Packers picked 25th and likely would've only had to give up a third- or fourth-rounder, which is well worth it for Mitchell.

Even worse? DeJean fell to No. 25, but the Packers passed on him to draft Morgan. Maybe time will prove Gutekunst right, but the early returns are concerning. DeJean is on track to make the PFWA All-Rookie Team, and he could've helped Green Bay's defense in the slot, at outside corner, or safety.

DeJean almost fell to the Packers in the second round. The Eagles sensed potential interest and traded one pick ahead of Green Bay to select him, and the Packers responded by immediately trading down. They ended up with Edgerrin Cooper, so we can't have too many complaints about how the second round panned out.

But the Packers had their opportunity. They could've traded down in the first round and still landed DeJean. It's still early to make any final judgments, but Morgan is a backup and struggling to land a starting job despite his positional versatility, while DeJean is thriving and leading an impressive turnaround for the Eagles' secondary.

They could live to regret their decision-making in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.