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Why Eagles rookie corners relish getting thrown in the deep end originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eagles defensive Vic Fangio threw a lot at his players this spring as they try to learn the entirety of his defensive system.
That could be overwhelming for rookies.
But the Eagles’ top two picks — Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean — seemed to relish the opportunity to sink or swim.
“It’s good. I want the challenge,” Mitchell said during the mandatory minicamp last week. “I want him to challenge me and challenge Cooper just to see how much we can take on. I feel like it’s been good. I’ve been getting everything down pat, so I feel good about it.”
The Eagles hadn’t drafted a cornerback in the first round in a couple decades before selecting Mitchell out of Toledo with the No. 22 pick in April. And then in the second round, they traded up to land Cooper DeJean from Iowa with the No. 40 pick.
There’s a chance both players figure heavily into the future of the Eagles’ secondary but there’s also a chance both will play significant snaps as rookies.
So they saw the benefit of learning a ton in the spring. And neither looked overmatched at the five practices open to reporters in OTAs and minicamp.
Mitchell mostly played outside cornerback in OTAs and minicamp but did get some reps inside as a dime linebacker. DeJean really showed off his versatility, splitting his reps between outside cornerback, nickel cornerback and he got some snaps as a dime linebacker too.
“It’s been good,” DeJean said. “I’m just trying to take in and learn as much as possible right now, whether that’s inside or outside. I don’t have a problem with having a lot on my plate. I’m here to play football and learn football. The more positions I can learn, I feel like it helps me out on the field when I’m at one of those positions. Just knowing what those other positions are doing and where I can get my help.”
Eventually, the Eagles want to find a home for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-eagles-rookie-corners-relish-110000750.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-06-12 11:00:00
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