Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean Named To First-Team All-Pro
Eagles cornerback’s Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean after the Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, December 15, 2024 in Philadelphia. Credit: Yong Kim / The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Eagles have not one, but two All-Pro cornerbacks.
Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were each named AP first-team All-Pros, both accomplishing the feat in their second year in the league. Mitchell earned one of the two true cornerback spots, while DeJean earned the slot corner selection.
The duo is the first Eagles defensive backs to earn first-team honors since Brian Dawkins in 2006, and the first true corners to earn the honors since Lito Sheppard in 2004.
This is the second time in Eagles history (and sixth time in NFL history) where the team’s top two picks from a draft class have earned first-team All-Pro honors within their first two seasons in the league. The other instance came back in 1989 when tight end Keith Jackson and cornerback Eric Allen earned first-team honors.
This is also only the third of those six instances, and the first since the 2001 Bears, where both players were on the same side of the ball.
2025 was a huge jump year for both players, but Mitchell especially. The Eagles let both Isaiah Rodgers and Darius Slay walk in free agency, which forced Mitchell to take over the top outside corner role. Thankfully for the Eagles, Mitchell has passed with flying colors.
While he didn’t grab an interception this year, he allowed just 36 completions on 82 targets for 389 yards and zero touchdowns, and also totaled 17 pass breakups. The majority of this came when Mitchell was guarding the opposing team’s top wide receiver.
For DeJean, while his job isn’t locking down top wideouts, he has excelled as one of the NFL’s best all-around and versatile defensive players. A Swiss army knife, you could say, whether it’s tackling running backs and receivers, forcing turnovers, or covering the middle of the field, DeJean can play multiple types of roles on the Eagles’ defense.
This year, he totaled 93 tackles, the most by a cornerback this year, 16 pass breakups, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he finish fouirth in coverage grade, tied for seventh in pass stops, and tied for 11th in forced incompletions while allowing just one touchdown all season while covering players.
The Eagles invested premier draft picks in the two defensive backs back in 2024, and they have quickly proved to be worth the investment.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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