Behind the scenes of rookie corners' insatiable appetite for knowledge

Christian Parker is used to it by now because it has become pretty common. The Eagles’ defensive backs coach will get a text like this:

“Hey Coach, you in your office?”

It’s a question that leads to more questions. And in the NFL, questions are good, especially when they’re coming from eager rookies. The Eagles drafted a couple of them back-to-back in April when they took Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 22 pick and then Cooper DeJean with the No. 40 pick.

“They’ll send videos of a play at night, they’ll come in the morning with a question,” Parker said to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Because I tell them, ‘Don’t come in my office without any information. You came up here to learn but I need to know what you’re seeing too so we can either confirm that or translate it or apply it a different way.’ But they’re both pretty intentional about trying to do things the right way and learning as much as possible.”

Mitchell and DeJean have gotten into a groove of asking a bunch of questions in meetings but they’re constantly bringing questions to Parker outside of meetings too.

When they go home at night with their iPads, the rookie cornerbacks will send Parker clips to know how to play a certain coverage or to ask him about a specific matchup, what he sees from a receiver or what technique to use on any given play. Sometimes those texts arrive well after everyone has left the NovaCare Complex for the day — Mitchell said he’ll text Parker as late as 10 or 11 at night.

“It’s good to have that relationship with the coach,” DeJean said, “to be just one text away and ask him whatever questions we need to.”

And each week, Parker and his two rookie cornerbacks will watch film together at the team facility. Just the three of them. Now months into their rookie seasons, it has been extremely helpful for Mitchell and DeJean to go through this process together.

Creating a bond

Mitchell began the season as a full-time starter at outside cornerback, but it took longer for DeJean to see the field. DeJean suffered a hamstring injury before training camp that put him behind, so he didn’t make his first start at nickel until Week 6 coming off the bye. Since then, they have played two very good games together in the starting lineup.

“I see two guys that love the game of football and are willing to do everything they can to get better at it,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. ‘Highly competitive guys, very serious about football, good teammates, work really hard. All those things you see out of these guys on a daily basis. And it's good to have their youth and energy out on the field.”

It was a special day for Mitchell and DeJean when they finally got to play together.

After the win over the Browns, they decided to swap jerseys to commemorate their first start together. It was Mitchell’s idea.

“That’s lit, man,” veteran Darius Slay said. “For the rookies to start together, first- and second-round DBs, to get their first start together, that’s a blessing for them. I was glad I was a part of that. I know there will be many more of those things to come for them.”

Parker thought it was pretty cool too. Hearing about the jersey swap put a smile on his face because there’s no doubt it has been helpful for both Mitchell and DeJean to be able to lean on each other the last few months.

Even though they were both big-time prospects and both came to Philly on 30 visits, Mitchell and DeJean didn’t really get to know each other until they became teammates. Since then, they’ve become close.

“It’s been good,” Mitchell said. “I feel like we’ve both been leaning on each other, we’re both getting our feet wet, we’re both leaning on the veterans. I just feel like it’s great to have somebody to go through this process with.”

DeJean said he and Mitchell were both pretty quiet when they got to Philly this spring but have been coming out of their shells more and more. The big difference, according to DeJean, is that Mitchell is the bigger trash talker. But they’re both feeling comfortable now and it seems like their connection has helped them get there.

“I think even from the start, from rookie minicamp to OTAs, you have two guys that come in at the same time like that, they know they’re linked and they know they want to help each other get on the field,” Parker said. “That’s probably something they probably talk about late at night at the hotel during training camp and things like that. They hold each other accountable, they’re together a lot. They have a really good relationship.”

It’s no wonder that Mitchell, who has been a starter from the jump, was so thrilled to see DeJean finally get his chance in Week 6. They have been through so much together over the last few months and they finally got to share the field.

As DeJean walked toward the tunnel after that Browns game, Mitchell was seen bowing down to his buddy. He was proud of him.

“Yeah, it felt good,” Mitchell said. “Just two young guys going out there and balling some. I’m happy for him and just happy to watch our growth throughout the year."

Understanding a defense

Both Mitchell and DeJean each played in just one defense and for just one defensive coordinator for the entirety of their college careers — Mitchell at Toledo and DeJean at Iowa.

So they were not exposed to a bunch of different schemes or bunch of different techniques. That could be viewed as negative.

But because they spent years in the same defense, they learned how many layers there are to understanding and functioning in a system. Parker said it was like both players made it to 300 level and graduate level classes in their respective defenses.

And now they want to feel that again in Vic Fangio’s defense.

“So I think both of them were hungry for those things,” Parker said. “They like meeting extra, they want to stay after practice. Sometimes I gotta tell them, ‘Hey, I got a staff meeting.’ But they’re always trying to get more because they understand they’re lacking in experience but they’re trying to catch up with work ethic.”

One way both players were able to find a fuller understanding of Fangio’s defense was by playing multiple positions in training camp. Both Mitchell and DeJean played outside corner and nickel corner this summer. Even though they’re solidified in their roles now — Mitchell outside and DeJean in the slot —knowing the other positions has helped with their overall knowledge of the defense.

For Mitchell, learning to play inside this summer wasn’t easy and it was brand new. And because he knows exactly what DeJean’s job is, he appreciates it that much more.

“Yeah, it was hard too,” Mitchell said. “I salute Coop or whoever plays nickel, Avonte (Maddox). Because it’s a hard position. I feel like it got me better, helped me with my technique and helped me learn the whole defense.”

The other thing that helped the rookies was that Fangio’s defense was new for everyone this spring. Even 10-year veterans still had to learn the new verbiage and calls, so those veterans were asking questions. 

“It’s double-edge because you don’t have the vets who can say, ‘Hey last year this came up’ because everybody is learning it together,” Parker said. “But it also helps because some of the questions they might have been thinking and somebody else is brave enough to ask.”

The veteran’s role

The rookies have learned a ton from Parker but sometimes it helps to learn from a teammate too. That’s where Slay comes in.

The 33-year-old is in his 12th NFL season and is a captain for the third straight year for a reason. Slay is always willing to help young players and he has two promising rookies in his position room.

“The one thing Slay always talks about is you don’t want to have to utilize your athletic tools on every play,” Parker said. “You want to use your brain. And so he echos a lot of things I say and sometimes it’s in a different way. When it comes from a different voice, sometimes it does hit a little differently in their brains.”

Slay has always been willing to help his young teammates in Philly, but it really helps when those rookies are eager to learn. It makes veterans want to help them.

That is exactly what’s happening with Mitchell and DeJean.

“It’s so much better, man, because it makes them comfortable,” Slay said. “It makes the older guys trust them more as well because you know they’re out there and they know their assignment that I gave them the answer for, so we both have the same mindset. So that’s the great thing about that, that these guys are learning at a high level just like I was when I was young. I was sitting around veterans, just asking questions. And I’m thankful to be a veteran so they can ask me questions and I can help them reach their full potential.”

Experience coaching top picks

Parker has been a good fit for these rookies so far. It’s obvious they feel a connection with the Eagles’ new defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, who is just 32 years old and on an upward trajectory.

“Yeah, he spends a lot of extra time with them,” Fangio said. “He’ll meet with them in his office one-on-one a good bit. Does a good job putting together teaching hand-outs, teaching cut-ups to do a good job of explaining what we're expecting.”

Parker’s first job in the NFL came with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quality control coach and then he was the Broncos’ defensive backs coach from 2021-23. In his young NFL career, Parker has already worked with a couple of first-round corners in Jaire Alexander and Patrick Surtain II.

Surtain’s rookie season in 2021 was Parker’s first in Denver. Mitchell’s rookie season in 2024 is Parker’s first in Philly. And the DBs coach is leaning on his experience coaching Surtain to bring Mitchell along.

“Yes, it definitely helps,” Parker said. "It’s kind of a similar trajectory. I try not to compare players because they’re all different mentally and physically. But in terms of the steps that you have to take, I’ve been through it before. I think that’s in general, game plan, how I run a meeting in OTAs. You’re always trying to learn from those experiences. So that has definitely helped me prepare him in the way that I see fit and how he receives that information.”

You never know

A couple weeks ago, after the Browns game, Fangio was asked how he knew DeJean was ready to play a bigger role in the defense.

“I didn’t,” Fangio shot back.

It’s impossible to know. The Eagles have been watching the rookies in practice since May, but practice and games are different. And sometimes you just never know exactly how it’s going to go until the reps are live.

“You can feel good about practice and you can feel good about the meeting room but that’s all air conditioning is what I like to say,” Parker explained. “We don’t want to be all-Maytag. We want to go out there and make it happen. You don’t find out until those guys get in the fire.”

So far, so good.

That’s not to say there won’t be some missteps along the way. Growth for young players in the NFL isn’t always linear and every cornerback in the NFL will get beat from time to time. But the early returns on both Mitchell and DeJean have been extremely promising.

And based on their makeup, the Eagles are hoping this is just the beginning.

“I think those are looking like two really, really good draft picks,” Sirianni said. “That's really helping our defense grow.”

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