Quinyon Mitchell, the Philadelphia Eagles' 2024 first-round pick out of Toledo, played exactly as his teammate and fellow cornerback Darius Slay advertised ahead of Friday night's matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
“Is he ready?” Slay said. “ Is he ready? He’s been ready since he was born.”
Mitchell shined in his NFL debut as a starter in the Eagles' 34-29 win over Green Bay .
He impressed early, chasing down Packers' wide receiver Christian Watson within the first few minutes of the game to prevent a Green Bay touchdown.
Mitchell also deflected a pass from quarterback Jordan Love intended for wideout Dontayvion Wicks that stood out.
He rarely blew his coverage and finished the night playing over 50 defensive snaps, logging 5 tackles (4 solo) and 2 pass breakups.
After the game, head coach Nick Sirianni shed some light on the rookie.
"The moment is never too big for Q," Sirianni said. "And I've seen that from Q from the very beginning."
If that's how Mitchell looked in Week 1, then his NFL future is extremely bright.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio already called that earlier in the week .
"He works really hard," Fangio said. "He's focused in meetings, not just on the practice field. We have put a lot on his plate, like I've said. He hasn't backed down from it at all. He's going to be a good player in this league."
Mitchell Was a Hidden Gem in the 2024 NFL Draft
Eagles fans have Sirianni and Mitchell's old college football coach to thank for landing one of the draft's biggest hidden gems.
"I have a special relationship with ... Q's college football coach was my college roommate," Sirianni said. "So, he told me everything there is to know and told Howie everything there is to know about Q and so we were so comfortable taking this guy because not only the play but because he's not fazed. ... He's going against A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith those are two of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Ironing sharpens iron."
Mitchell became the first Round 1 cornerback from the Mid-Atlantic Conference player selected in the draft since the Tennessee Titans picked wide receiver Corey Davis at No. 5 overall out of Western Michigan in 2017.
He was also the first cornerback the Eagles had drafted in the first round since 2002.
A few months before the draft, Mitchell had caught the attention of many national scouts at the Reese's Senior Bowl and then raised his stock even higher at the NFL Combine after he ran an impressive 4.33 40-yard dash.
Mitchell entered the draft after playing three seasons at Toledo where he racked up 123 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one sack, 45 passes defended, and six interceptions. It's worth mentioning that 37 of his pass breakups came in his final two years with the Rockets.
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