It took 1 season for Eagles' young cornerback duo to be ranked among the elite

The Philadelphia Eagles caught lightning in a bottle in last year's NFL Draft after selecting cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds.

They both saw the field as starters and even became instant contributors to the Eagles' Super Bowl run. DeJean had one of the most memorable plays in franchise history with his pick-six on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the 40-22 Super Bowl win. After not recording an interception in the regular season, Mitchell had two in the postseason.

The rest of the NFL is still scratching their heads on how they let Philadelphia draft the two best cornerbacks in the draft last year. That is reflected in the latest PFF position rankings, as DeJean and Mitchell receive their well-deserved recognition.

DeJean and Mitchell rank among the best shutdown corners in the NFL

PFF writer John Kosko includes DeJean and Mitchell in his top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL. Kosko started with DeJean at 11 as he was considered the best rookie in the league last year.

"The highest-ranked rookie from 2024 on the list, DeJean was phenomenal for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run. He ranked second in PFF coverage grade from man and zone-match coverage in 2024 (76.7), third in PFF coverage grade (84.1) and 12th in PFF advanced coverage grade. He did not allow a touchdown on 97 targets."

DeJean only started nine of his 16 games last year, but still racked up 51 tackles, six pass deflections, three tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and a half-sack. Advanced stats have him allowing a completion percentage of 66.2% and a quarterback rating of 80.1. DeJean was fourth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Mitchell is only five spots behind DeJean at 16, after PFF had previously excluded Mitchell from their list of top players under 25. Kosko expects Mitchell to make a return to the list, but with a higher rank.

"The top two rookie cornerbacks from 2024 were the Eagles' first two selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mitchell fared better than his teammate in PFF advanced coverage grade, ranking sixth, but placed ninth in PFF overall and standard coverage grades.

Don’t be surprised if Mitchell contends for a top-five spot a year from now, as he finished the 2024 season with 15 forced incompletions (third most)."

Mitchell was a full-time starter at outside cornerback, finishing with 46 tackles and 12 pass deflections in 16 games. While most people focus on the lack of turnovers created, he was among the best shutdown cornerbacks in the NFL, allowing a completion percentage of just 54.7%. He was ahead of DeJean in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, as he finished second.

Going into 2025, Mitchell is expected to hold his position on the outside at corner, while there are big plans for DeJean in the secondary. DeJean could be playing multiple positions with slot corner being his central position, but also will be at safety and outside cornerback at times.

The future is secure for at least the next four years in the secondary with two of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL shutting down everyone's top receivers.