The Philadelphia Eagles obviously believed in Quinyon Mitchell, because they took him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, No. 22 overall.
He proved to be as good or even better than their belief, right off the bat.
It's never a given that a player from the MAC will translate immediately into the NFL, although Toledo has made a habit of sending league-ready players to the next level of late, and Mitchell is the best example.
His dominance already can be summed up by one number, provided by ESPN's Ben Solak: 0.8.
That's the yards Mitchell allowed per coverage snap, which already ranked 10th in the NFL, even as a rookie.
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"The names above Mitchell? Pat Surtain II, Christian Benford, Cobie Durant, Derek Stingley Jr., Riq Woolen, D.J. Reed, Jaylon Johnson, A.J. Terrell Jr. and Jaycee Horn," Solak writes. "That's a pretty comprehensive list of the best corners in football. Though the numbers on Mitchell are good, the film is better. As the season went on, the Eagles felt more comfortable moving Mitchell onto the line of scrimmage and leaving him in press coverage. But it's his ability in off coverage to read releases and get to his responsibilities fast that make him a playmaker. You can see that here, when the Packers wanted to run him downfield with the vertical route to throw the corner in behind him. This is veteran-level stuff."
Mitchell will be even more important this season. The Eagles lost Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers in free agency.
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There won't be any sneaking up on people by Mitchell this season, either. Everyone will know they're going up against one of the top corners in football and plan accordingly.
If Mitchell's rookie season is any indication, though, he's up for the task. He already helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl. Why not get even better and go for it again?
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