NFL Mock Draft: Eagles Pick Top CB in 2024 Class
The Philadelphia Eagles' downward spiral of a season was lowlighted by the NFL's 31st-ranked pass defense in yards per game, bested (worsted?) by only the Washington Commanders in bad secondary play.
That, of course, led to the decision to bring in a new defensive coordinator with Vic Fangio agreeing to move to the Eagles after leading the Miami Dolphins' defense in 2023.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, then with the Denver Broncos.
© Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY
In a new mock draft by NFL.com, Philadelphia is also going to add a shiny new cornerback to the roster to help Fangio rebuild a once-proud defensive unit.
"The Eagles had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last season," writes NFL.com while projecting Toledo Rockets defensive back Quinyon Mitchell to the Eagles at pick No. 22. "And their top corners -- Darius Slay (33) and James Bradberry (entering age-31 season) -- aren’t getting any younger. Mitchell showed at the Senior Bowl that he deserves to be in the draft’s CB1 conversation."
In this mock draft, Mitchell is the second cornerback off the board after the Indianapolis Colts used the No. 15 pick on Alabama Crimson Tide prospect Terrion Arnold.
With trades playing a role in the real-life selection process, the Houston Texans could be a threat to this outcome, however, the same mock has that team taking Clemson Tigers cornerback Nate Wiggins.
A solid prospect on his own, if the Texans covet Mitchell over Wiggins they may seek out a trade with one of the teams ahead of Philadelphia to reach their target.
In total, NFL.com has four cornerbacks drafted on Day 1 of the NFL Draft with Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry going to the Detroit Lions at No. 29 and Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean heading to the Green Bay Packers at No. 25.
Fangio's 2023 defense with the Dolphins ranked 15th in the NFL in passing yards per game after spending their first pick of the weekend, No. 51 overall, on South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith.
