One of the main reasons that the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the Super Bowl is because they were able to steal Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with the 22nd and 40th overall picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mitchell was a starter from Day 1, and DeJean eventually started, from October on. They were major upgrades over James Bradberry and about a half dozen slot corners the Eagles tried in 2023.
The two rookie corners earned their way onto the field, but they were also given what a lot of other recent rookies were not — opportunity.
During the 2023 season, only one of the Eagles' seven rookie draft picks, Jalen Carter, had a prominent role. None of the team's rookie draft picks, including Carter, played 50 percent or more of the offensive or defensive snaps. The drafted rookie snap counts looked like so:
| Round | Player | Snaps | % of O/D snaps played |
| 1 | DT Jalen Carter | 600 | 48.7% |
| 1 | EDGE Nolan Smith | 204 | 16.6% |
| 3 | OL Tyler Steen | 71 | 5.9% |
| 3 | S Sydney Brown | 335 | 27.2% |
| 4 | CB Kelee Ringo | 234 | 19.0% |
| 6 | QB Tanner McKee | 0 | 0% |
| 7 | DT Moro Ojomo | 68 | 5.5% |
There are good arguments to be made that Nolan Smith, Tyler Steen, Sydney Brown, and Kelee Ringo all should have played more than they did in 2023, and that it would have also made sense for Nakobe Dean to be mixed in more in 2022.
At the NFL Combine last February, Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni had mixed messaging on rookie playing time. Roseman expressed that the team shouldn't be afraid to play the rookies, while Sirianni took a more rigid stance saying that his philosophy "has always been play the guys that are going to help you win the game every week."
As it turned out, the Eagles weren't afraid to play a number of their rookies in 2024. Here's what the rookie snap counts looked like in 2024:
| Round | Player | Snaps | % of O/D snaps played |
| 1 | CB Quinyon Mitchell | 1105 | 88.5% |
| 2 | CB Cooper DeJean | 803 | 64.3% |
| 3 | EDGE Jalyx Hunt | 321 | 25.7% |
| 4 | RB Will Shipley | 72 | 5.3% |
| 5 | WR Ainias Smith | 96 | 7.1% |
| 5 | LB Jeremiah Trotter | 108 | 8.6% |
| 5 | OG Trevor Keegan | 35 | 2.6% |
| 6 | WR Johnny Wilson | 400 | 29.6% |
| 6 | C Dylan McMahon | 0 | 0% |
| TOTAL | 2967 |
Even if the Eagles were intent on giving rookies more of a chance to play, the reality was also that Mitchell and DeJean gave the team the best chance to win
"They have to earn the jobs," Roseman said. "I mean, nobody can be on scholarships. There has to be competition."
Still, in past Eagles seasons, rookies didn't play a big role in the team's success. In 2024, their draftees collectively played 2,967 snaps, more than any season in Volume II of Roseman's GM tenure, with the exception of the 2021 season, which featured an immediate starter in DeVonta Smith, and a near immediate starter in Landon Dickerson. A look at the drafted rookie snap counts during Roseman's second stint as the Eagles' GM:
| Year | Drafted rookie snaps |
| 2024 | 2968 |
| 2023 | 1512 |
| 2022 | 615 |
| 2021 | 3171 |
| 2020 | 1942 |
| 2019 | 1436 |
| 2018 | 1210 |
| 2017 | 1316 |
| 2016 | 2848 |
Let's take a look at the contributions of each 2024 drafted rookie.
CB Quinyon Mitchell
It was pretty clear as early as Eagles spring practices that Mitchell could play. He worked his way up the depth chart from the spring into training camp, and by the time the season rolled around there was little doubt that he was going to start and probably play well.
"It was easy for Q, just as he came in and thorough the the offseason, and you saw it right away," Roseman said. "You saw all the things you saw from him in college."
Mitchell finished the regular season with 46 tackles and 12 pass breakups. He did not have a regular season INT, but he collected his first pick in the playoffs against the Packers, and added another against the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.
He also smothered star receiver Terry McLaurin whenever matched up with him in that game.
If NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors were decided on regular season plus playoff performances, Mitchell would probably win.
CB Cooper DeJean
DeJean's 2023 season at Iowa was cut short when he fractured his right fibula in practice. He missed most of the pre-draft process, and he no doubt slid in the draft as a result. Then before the start of Eagles training camp, DeJean injured his hamstring, landed on the NFI list, and missed the first dozen practices, forcing him to play catchup deep into camp.
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DeJean played just 8 snaps in the regular defense the first four games of the season, but he was unleashed after the Eagles' Week 5 bye.
"Coop had had a tough offseason," Roseman said. "His ability to make a difference after the bye week is probably one of the stories we don't talk about. The bye week was a huge turning point for our football team, and one of the reasons was Coop getting on the field."
Like Mitchell above, DeJean didn't have a regular season INT, but he had 51 tackles, a forced fumble, and six pass breakups while solidifying the slot corner spot in the Eagles' defense, both in coverage and as a tackler.
"I feel like those first six or seven weeks I felt like a rookie, but once you get some experience out there you become more vocal, more confident on the field, start to feel like a guy who has been around a little bit," DeJean said.
EDGE Jalyx Hunt
Coming from Houston Christian, it felt a lot like Hunt was a project player who was unlikely to play much as a rookie. For the first 8 games of the season that was true, as Hunt played a grand total of 17 snaps.
But when Bryce Huff went on injured reserve with a wrist injury, Hunt became a part of the edge defender rotation. He was immediately better than Huff as a run stopper, and although he has a ways to go as a pass rusher, he has gotten better the more he has played. Run stop here, via @HonestNFL:
When Huff was healthy again, he found himself behind Hunt in the edge defender pecking order.
Throughout the playoffs, Fangio has gone with a three-man edge defender rotation of Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith and Hunt. That is a huge vote of confidence in a small school rookie.
RB Will Shipley
During the regular season, Shipley carried 30 times for 82 yards (2.7 YPC). He also had an 18-yard TD run against the Bengals that got called back.
He mostly played in blowouts.
In the NFC Championship Game, Shipley made a monster play on special teams, when he forced a fumble that was recovered by Kenny Gainwell. He also had a 35-yard kick return, and a 57-yard run that rubbed some salt in the Commanders' wounds.
He scored his first NFL TD (that counted) three plays later.
Shipley probably showed enough promise that the Eagles can perhaps count on him to grow into an RB2 role if Gainwell leaves in free agency.
WR Ainias Smith
Smith had an awful start to training camp, but he improved late in the summer and made the 53-man roster. He appeared in seven games, making 7 catches for 41 yards and a TD. He caught 4 passes for 35 yards and a TD from Tanner McKee in the Eagles' meaningless Week 18 game against the Giants, which was also a win.
The Eagles don't seem to trust Smith in big games yet, as they signed Parris Campbell to the 53-man roster for the playoffs. Campbell also returned punts for the Eagles Week 18 instead of Smith.
LB Jeremiah Trotter
Trotter played 108 snaps in the regular defense his rookie season, 53 of which came against the Giants Week 18. He had 11 tackles in that game, and Fran Duffy of PHLY cut up some of his highlights:
The rest of Trotter's snaps came in blowouts, as he was fourth in the linebacker pecking order behind Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, and Oren Burks.
Trotter seemed poised to split snaps with Burks in the regular defense in the Divisional Round Game against the Rams, but Vic Fangio said afterward that Burks "was doing OK," so he left well enough alone.
Trotter's main contributions as a rookie came on special teams. He played 295 special teams snaps during the regular season, and 65 so far in the playoffs. His highlight of the season was wrestling the ball away from Keisean Nixon at the bottom of a pile in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Packers after a Burks forced fumble on a kickoff.
Throughout training camp and the preseason games, Trotter was around the ball quite a bit. His profile is similar to Dean's, in that they're both undersized linebackers who lack elite athleticism, but have plus instincts. In that sense, Trotter could have a chance to play in Dean's role in 2025, as Dean is likely to miss at least part of the 2025 season with his torn patellar tendon.
OG Trevor Keegan
Keegan played well enough camp, but he's a guard only, and therefore has limited use on gameday as a backup. He was only active for one game, the meaningless Week 18 against the Giants. In that game, he split snaps with Tyler Steen, only playing 35 snaps. We'll probably take a closer look at those snaps during the deadest period of the offseason this upcoming summer.
WR Johnny Wilson
Wilson carved out a role as a physical blocker his rookie season. Video via Ben Fennell:
However, he wasn't much of a threat as a receiver, catching 5 passes for 38 yards and 1 TD. He has played 400 snaps, and actually started four games. He'll have a chance to increase his role in 2025.
C Dylan McMahon
McMahon was the only Eagles rookie draftee not to make the 53-man roster. McMahon had a decent enough camp, but the Eagles instead kept James Bradberry at cutdowns and McMahon was added to the practice squad before being snatched up by the Rams. He played in one game for the Rams, a Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks during which the Rams rested starters. McMahon doesn't seem to have played well.
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