Prior to last season, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz ranked the Philadelphia Eagles 29th in terms of quality players under the age of 25. This year, the Eagles did much better, thanks to increased opportunities for their young defenders.
How was Schatz to know rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell (24) and Cooper DeJean (23), Philadelphia’s first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, would finish in the top-four of the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting?
This year, he lists Mitchell, along with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter (24), as the team’s two blue-chip players under 25.
Meanwhile, DeJean landed at No. 60 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2025. No word on where Mitchell will land, but with 1,582 combined snaps, the two had plenty of opportunities to showcase their talents last season, something their teammates hope to do in 2025.
A first-round pick in 2023, edge-rusher Nolan Smith (24) played 55% of team snaps last season after appearing in just 16% of plays as a rookie. Quite a feat considering he shared the field with defensive ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat, neither of whom are with the team anymore.
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