The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2024 NFL Draft Thursday night with eight picks over the three-day event.
The organization has long built the core of its team through the draft. The Eagles are nearly through another offseason in which they’ve signed multiple homegrown players to long-term extensions. Howie Roseman is an aggressive general manager who frequently uses trades to secure the players his front office desires.
The Eagles must stabilize themselves as Super Bowl contenders. After going 11-6 in last year’s regular season and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round, Nick Sirianni overhauled his coaching staff to rectify one of the most sudden and catastrophic collapses in NFL history.
New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio form Philadelphia’s new schematic brain trust, and they must better maximize a roster that remains highly talented despite losing franchise pillars to retirement. By being aggressive in free agency — landing high-profile signees like Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff and C.J. Gardner-Johnson — the Eagles have only a few holes on their roster, along the offensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary.
Keep returning here throughout the draft for analysis and grades for each Eagles pick.
Round 1
No. 22: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
How he fits
Many wondered if Philadelphia might move up to address its obvious need at cornerback. Instead, with six quarterbacks going in the top 12, the corners fell to the Eagles. Philadelphia sticks at No. 22 and drafts the first cornerback in Toledo’s Mitchell. One of the humblest players in the draft, Mitchell turned down big SEC money to stay at Toledo and finish his degree.
He’s also big, long and extremely fast. Mitchell burned a 4.33 at the combine, jumped 38 inches with a 10-2 broad and was downright dominant at the Senior Bowl. He got better every day at Toledo and wound up with a whopping 52 passes defended in three years. For Philadelphia, this couldn’t have gone better. — Nick Baumgardner
Dane Brugler’s analysis
Mitchell is a balanced size/speed athlete who stays in phase up and down the field, doesn’t panic and makes plays on the football at a high rate. His tape and traits show an NFL-ready starter with a bright future.
Brooks Kubena’s analysis: Eagles draft Quinyon Mitchell: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
Grade: A
GO DEEPER
NFL Draft 2024 Round 1 grades: Falcons, Broncos get Cs for Penix, Nix; Bears earn two A’s
Round 2
No. 40 (via Commanders): Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
How he fits
Is he a corner? A safety? A nickel? It doesn’t matter. DeJean will find his way on the field for Philadelphia after a productive career where he played both corner and nickel at Iowa. He finished with seven interceptions and returned three for touchdowns while defending 20 passes in two seasons. DeJean (6 feet, 203 pounds) also is an elite punt returner with returned two for touchdowns in 2023 (one was called back for an illegal signal). The Eagles gave up a lot, but this was well worth it considering where their secondary was late last season. — Scott Dochterman
Brugler’s analysis
DeJean is one of the best tackling defensive backs in the class and shows playmaking skills in coverage, because of his athletic instincts and competitive makeup. Along with an immediate special-teams role (as a returner and gunner), his NFL starter-quality skill set fits interchangeably at cornerback, safety or nickel.
GO DEEPER
Eagles draft Cooper DeJean: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
Grade: A
Round 3
No. 94 (from 49ers): Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston Christian
How he fits
A high school wide receiver who played safety at Cornell before bulking up to play edge at Houston Christian, Hunt is now a 6-3, 252-pound pass rusher with 10-inch hands and 34 3/8-inch arms. A former basketball player with elite burst and great speed, Hunt has more traits than polish right now — but the upside here, and the positional versatility, is highly intriguing. — Baumgardner
Brugler’s analysis
Hunt is overly reliant on his athletic gifts and needs to become savvier with his hands and pass-rush approach, but his explosiveness, body length and willingness to be coached are attractive qualities. He is a draft-and-develop prospect who can fill a sub-package role as a rookie and play special teams.
Grade: B-plus
Round 4
No. 127 (from Texans): Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
Brugler’s analysis
Shipley has only average size, but he runs with controlled athleticism and competitive urgency in all areas of his game. Though he has the mentality of an early-down grinder, his versatile skills fit best in a third-down role and on special teams.
Round 5
No. 152 (from Commanders)
No. 164 (from Lions)
No. 171 (comp pick)
No. 172 (comp pick)
Round 6
No. 201 (from Lions)
(Photo of Cooper DeJean: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)
