What a year it’s been for NFL rookies. Don’t tell these guys they don’t belong. They burst onto the professional football scene and forced everyone watching to take notice. Philadelphia Eagles fans are aware of this.

Jayden Daniels has created his own lane. Caleb Williams and Malik Nabers are goalkeepers. So did a few others. We could name many, but two outstanding stars of the first year are in the City of Brotherly Love. They were as good as advertised.

Quinyon Mitchell has been a stud since Week 1. He performed as well or better than some cornerbacks a few years older. Philly’s second-round draft pick gets his chance to start in a few weeks, but he’s been so good that we’re ready to make the boldest bets.

Q has been a defensive gem all season long. We’ve long believed he could win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. But something has been on our minds lately.

Typically, teams have expectations come draft time. First-round draft picks often contribute immediately (or very soon). Day 2 guys like Cooper DeJean are also guys that franchises invest heavily in.

Mitchell was a perfect target choice. DeJean’s return took a little longer. He missed valuable preseason time due to a physical injury but was ready for the regular season.

The lack of repetition and activity forced their coach to make a decision. Take the young man with you slowly. He played eight defensive snaps between Week 1 and Week 4. but after the bye he was promoted to the starting lineup as slot corner.

What a revelation it was.

Cooper DeJean played 141 snaps in Philly’s last three games. This equates to 91%, 72% and 81% in each game respectively. The results were 13 steals. This includes ten of the solo variants and two that result in loss of distance.

He broke up a pass and was credited with two pressures. He also has a recorded hit on opposing QB (Deshaun Watson). Pro Football Focus gives him an 87.2 coverage grade and an 83.4 overall grade Thanks to his passing grades and run defense grades of 57.8 and 59.9 respectively.

His coverage grade ranks second in the NFL behind Kaiir Elam (90.8). This fourth stop in Week 8 is worth applauding.

Do not emphasize running and rushing notes. Passing from the slot CB position is a frequent wrinkle in Vic Fangio’s defense. Coop does it well, but let’s be honest, the question on everyone’s mind was how well this guy could cover up.

Philly is ranked 1-5 according to PFF. His slot coverage grades between weeks ranked 24th leaguewide. 6-8 since DeJean’s debut as a starter. They were in third place for weeks.

Let’s just say the feedback has been positive.

Yes, we read the title. We wrote. Philly had a legitimate Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. There are two now. Add DeJean’s name to the discussion.

Competition is fierce. The emergence of guys like Evan Williams (Packers), Jared Verse (Rams), Andru Phillips (Giants), and Tykee Smith (Buccaneers) in addition to his teammate will make it tougher to earn the hardware, but even if we’re biased, we like the chances for both of our guys.