Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean talks to the media following his Pro Day. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Odds of Eagles drafting Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean were super low

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 4/27/24

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good.

Not only did Philadelphia make a pair of great picks with cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but the odds of them doing so were incredibly low.

According to ESPN’s NFL Draft Day Predictor tool, the Eagles entered the 2024 NFL Draft with a 6% chance of drafting Mitchell at No. 22 and a 3% chance of landing DeJean at No. 40 after trading up with the Commanders for a pair of second-round picks.

Eagles fans hoped the team would address its 31st-ranked secondary in the draft, and many believed a trade-up would be necessary for either player.

Philadelphia hadn’t used a first-round draft pick for a cornerback since the team drafted Lito Sheppard in 2002. Coincidentally, they also used a second-round pick that year to take a defensive back.

The call that changed it all ☎️@cdejean23 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/uqXoaUfcOm
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 27, 2024

During Saturday’s broadcast, ESPN hosts seemed dumbfounded by the Eagles' improbable draft day haul. Afterward, Adam Schefter emphasized the point by revealing that the Eagles gave DeJean serious thought before settling on Mitchell with their first-round pick. They wound up with both.

Now, other members of the team’s secondary face long odds of staying with the team. At the moment, Philadelphia has nine cornerbacks on its roster, excluding DeJean who many see as an NFL safety.

With a minimum dead cap hit of $9M, six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay is likely to stay, but after a disappointing 2024 season, trading James Bradberry would cost the team just $3M in dead money.

The team added Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo in the fourth round of last year’s draft, and Eli Ricks, an undrafted free agent from Alabama, saw action in 16 games last season. Odds are one finds themselves with another team in 2024.

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