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When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field for their first defensive snap of the Super Bowl, two rookies will be on the field at the cornerback position, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
That’s right, for the first time in Eagles history, Philadelphia will have two rookie corners attempting to shut down the opposing team’s best pass catchers, and it’s not due to accident, injury, or illness either: in 2025, Mitchell and DeJean consistently graded out as two of the top cornerbacks in the NFL regardless of position and have earned their spots as long-term starters in Vic Fangio’s defense as a result.
And the best part? Even team owner Jeffrey Lurie didn’t think pairing up the duo would be possible until Howie Roseman actually called the deal in.
That’s right, discussing the additions of the two young DBs during Super Bowl Media week, Lurie disclosed that he didn’t expect to land the duo but made it a point to land DeJean after they selected Mitchell.
Is Lurie on the money? Well, based on what Roseman said after the draft back in April, it would appear to be 100 percent on the money.
Making an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show after the 2024 NFL Draft, Roseman noted that he was over the moon to pick the Iowa product 22nd overall, as he didn’t think he would still be on the board at 22.
“We couldn’t be more excited to get him (DeJean). He was certainly among the considerations at 22. You know when we came back after the first round and met as a staff just trying to figure out a way, was there a possibility that we could get him because of what kind of player and person he is?” Roseman told Eisen.
“The roles that he can fill, you know this guy, he’s just a heck of a player. Whatever he does he does at a high level, whether that’s a defensive player, whether that’s as a returner, I mean shoot, this was a quarterback in high school. You know this guy could have played quarterback in college as well. He’s that kind of athlete. He’s (got) that kind of intangibles, so I’m really excited to get him.”
Fortunately for the Eagles, they were able to get the job done, and inexplicably, Mitchell and DeJean were able to immediately make an impact as rookies. While the Eagles may have been surprised to land the duo with only a minor trade-up, their actual on-field play has been the true game-changer for Fangio’s defense.
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