NFL personnel say what every Eagles fan has known about Quinyon Mitchell

There isn't a young player who exploded onto the scene as surprisingly well as Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell did last year. And the NFL has taken notice.

ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler continued his position ranking series, where he surveyed NFL executives, coaches, and scouts with the focus this time on cornerbacks. Mitchell made a strong first impression with the league as he was ranked ninth with two members of the NFL blown away by his play in Year 1.

"Loved him coming out -- heard a lot about him throughout the season, and it looked like teams tried to find ways to throw away from him," an NFL coordinator said. "He proved to be able to handle 1s."

"His biggest thing is confidence," an NFL passing game coordinator said. "He barely played press in college but got in people's pockets. He got really good at that."

Eagles fans have known that Mitchell is the real deal

The ability to shut down number one receivers was impressive to see from Mitchell. It was so impressive that it gave Eagles general manager Howie Roseman the confidence to release Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

Mitchell's initial stats won't blow anyone away with his 46 tackles and 12 pass deflections in 16 games. It was the deeper analytics that will impress fans more as he allowed a completion percentage of 54.7% and a QB rating of 87.2.

There have been mixed reactions from the media as to who is the better rookie phenom between Mitchell and his running mate Cooper DeJean. Pro Football Focus ranked DeJean as the 11th best cornerback in the NFL, while Mitchell landed at 16.

Even though DeJean and Mitchell are great in their own ways, it's hard to compare the two guys. DeJean was in the slot and didn't really get significant playing time until the second half of the season. Mitchell was going up against the best receivers on the outside, with Slay as the other outside.

Both players are awesome to watch, but what Mitchell did last season was more impressive. He should be considered the better of the two (for now). It appears the league feels the same way, as Mitchell will most likely find himself climbing the rankings of the best cornerbacks for a long time.