Bleeding Green Nation
Insider insight from actual NFL front office members.
One of my favorite post-NFL Draft activities involves looking at what actual scouts think of the players that the Philadelphia Eagles selected ... through the lens of what was said about them before the picks were made.
This article features pre-draft quotes from real football executives by way of Bob McGinn’s annual draft series (via Tyler Dunne’s great Go Long substack), The Athletic’s Draft Confidential (via Bruce Feldman), NFL.com’s draft profiles (written by Lance Zierlein), and Tony Pauline scouting reports.
Let’s take a look at what insiders had to say about the Eagles’ selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Mitchell was the second cornerback in McGinn’s rankings, only behind Terrion Arnold.
QUINYON MITCHELL, Toledo (6-0, 198, 4.30, 1): Didn’t play at Toledo in 2019 because of academics before starting 40 of 46 games for the Rockets from 2020-’23. “He’s got speed,” one scout said. “Oakland Raider kind of corner. He is what he is.” On Oct, 8, 2022, he intercepted four passes at Northern Illinois, returning two for touchdowns. “It was a Deion Sanders-type performance,” a second scout said. “I didn’t want to be that high on the guy because of the people he was playing against but he might be the best. If he played at Alabama I’d probably give him a top-10 pick.” Made an impressive practice showing at the Senior Bowl. “When you go back to (2022) and watch him play against Ohio State (a 77-21 loss) he looks much more ordinary than when he was playing Senior Bowl receivers and at Toledo this past year,” said a third scout. “He wasn’t playing against NFL guys. Even at the Senior Bowl there were only a couple that were pretty good. You’re going on traits. He has outstanding movement for his size. He tested extremely well. If someone has a great nickel and is taking an outside corner, I can easily see this guy going before Arnold.” His 20 reps on the bench press led the position. “I was really impressed with him,” said a fourth scout. “Then at the combine it looked like he had never caught a ball in his life. He looked very awkward in his approach to catching the ball.” Finished with 122 tackles (6 ½ for loss), six picks and 52 passes defensed. “He’s got size, speed, quickness, strength,” said a fifth scout. “Only thing that worries you is just the level of guys he was going against consistently. Once he gets used to dealing with other (NFL) guys he’ll be able to do it … He’s willing (to tackle). I don’t know if he was saving himself in certain situations or it was that ‘I’m getting ready to go pro’ deal. Some games you could see him really selling out and other games you could kind of see him going, ‘Maybe next week.’” From Williston, Fla.
No surprise to see a focus on the level of Mitchell’s competition. I watched...
