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The Philadelphia Eagles invested heavily in rebuilding their secondary during the 2024 NFL Draft. Two years later, it's difficult to argue with the results.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently surveyed more than 70 NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank the league's top cornerbacks entering the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, two Eagles landed on the list as Quinyon Mitchell checked in at No. 6, while Cooper DeJean rounded out the rankings at No. 10. Only Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley, Christian Gonzales, Devon Witherspoon, and Trent McDuffie placed higher than Mitchell.
The Eagles waited more than two decades to spend a first-round pick on a cornerback before selecting Mitchell 22nd overall in 2024 (Lito Sheppard was the most recent before that). Seeing Mitchell blossom into what he has and seeing DeJean become an All-Pro himself is further validation of Howie Roseman's vision and great news for Philadelphia moving forward.
Mitchell's rise has been particularly impressive. The former Toledo Rockets standout has yet to record his first regular-season NFL interception. He does, however, have four spanning five postseason starts. League evaluators clearly aren't holding that against him, nor should they. According to Fowler's report, executives praised Mitchell's ability to shadow opposing No. 1 receivers while pointing to his consistency in coverage.
His first-team All-Pro selection and advanced metrics only reinforce the eye test, suggesting quarterbacks have found very little success throwing in his direction. As one veteran defensive coach told ESPN, Mitchell is a "sticky man-to-man guy" who continues to improve while remaining connected at the point of attack. DeJean's inclusion on the ranking comes for a different reason.
Few defenders in the NFL offer the positional versatility he brings to Vic Fangio's defense. Although he spent much of last season playing slot corner, Philadelphia also plans to deploy him at safety in its base defense, making him one of the league's most versatile defensive backs.
That flexibility became a major talking point among league voters, with one NFC coach describing DeJean as a "Swiss Army knife" capable of holding his own almost anywhere in the secondary. Philadelphia's defense already featured plenty of star power entering the 2024 draft, but adding Mitchell and DeJean accelerated the unit's evolution.
Two seasons later, both have developed into cornerstone defenders, and national recognition continues to follow. For the Eagles, that's perhaps the biggest takeaway. The organization's aggressive investment in the secondary hasn't simply improved one position group. It has helped establish one of the NFL's best young defensive back tandems, giving Philadelphia a foundation that should remain in place for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL executives name two Eagles among the league's best cornerbacks
Continue reading...
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently surveyed more than 70 NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank the league's top cornerbacks entering the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, two Eagles landed on the list as Quinyon Mitchell checked in at No. 6, while Cooper DeJean rounded out the rankings at No. 10. Only Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley, Christian Gonzales, Devon Witherspoon, and Trent McDuffie placed higher than Mitchell.
The Eagles waited more than two decades to spend a first-round pick on a cornerback before selecting Mitchell 22nd overall in 2024 (Lito Sheppard was the most recent before that). Seeing Mitchell blossom into what he has and seeing DeJean become an All-Pro himself is further validation of Howie Roseman's vision and great news for Philadelphia moving forward.
The Eagles' investments have paid off
Mitchell's rise has been particularly impressive. The former Toledo Rockets standout has yet to record his first regular-season NFL interception. He does, however, have four spanning five postseason starts. League evaluators clearly aren't holding that against him, nor should they. According to Fowler's report, executives praised Mitchell's ability to shadow opposing No. 1 receivers while pointing to his consistency in coverage.
His first-team All-Pro selection and advanced metrics only reinforce the eye test, suggesting quarterbacks have found very little success throwing in his direction. As one veteran defensive coach told ESPN, Mitchell is a "sticky man-to-man guy" who continues to improve while remaining connected at the point of attack. DeJean's inclusion on the ranking comes for a different reason.
Few defenders in the NFL offer the positional versatility he brings to Vic Fangio's defense. Although he spent much of last season playing slot corner, Philadelphia also plans to deploy him at safety in its base defense, making him one of the league's most versatile defensive backs.
That flexibility became a major talking point among league voters, with one NFC coach describing DeJean as a "Swiss Army knife" capable of holding his own almost anywhere in the secondary. Philadelphia's defense already featured plenty of star power entering the 2024 draft, but adding Mitchell and DeJean accelerated the unit's evolution.
Two seasons later, both have developed into cornerstone defenders, and national recognition continues to follow. For the Eagles, that's perhaps the biggest takeaway. The organization's aggressive investment in the secondary hasn't simply improved one position group. It has helped establish one of the NFL's best young defensive back tandems, giving Philadelphia a foundation that should remain in place for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: NFL executives name two Eagles among the league's best cornerbacks
Continue reading...
