NEW ORLEANS — Some have to wait and wait, and finally it arrives.
Some wait and wait, and it never happens.
And then there are Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
They did not have to wait at all.
“Being here at the Super Bowl, some guys go their whole career without playing in the Super Bowl, so being here and just taking it all in, you know,’’ DeJean said.
There is a lot to take in.
Especially for a pair of rookie cornerbacks who helped transform the Eagles secondary, with their next and last assignment of their NFL debut season a shot at Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl 2025.
“Just a blessing,’’ Mitchell said. “Man, exciting, all the hard work’s paying off. Just got to finish the job.’’
Usually, the best thing about rookie corners is that they grow up into second-year corners.
Not so with this duo.
The Eagles selected Mitchell out of Toledo in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Then they took DeJean out of Iowa in the second round, doubling up to fortify their defensive backfield.
The strategy — back-to-back picks targeting the same position — is uncommon, and the Eagles were rewarded for their boldness.
Mitchell immediately earned a starting spot as a perimeter corner opposite veteran Darius Slay.
DeJean was used for only eight snaps on defense in the first four games, and it appeared as if he might need a year to acclimate to the league.
The Eagles went 2-2 in those four games and then took a break for an early bye week.
When they returned to action, DeJean was the starting slot cornerback, a role he has held the rest of the way.
“They’re great guys, man, Coop and Quinyon,” Slay, the 34-year old, 12-year veteran, said. “They’re detailed. They pay attention. They listen. They learn. It’s hard to get rookies to understand this game at a high level. It’s amazing. It’s gonna be a special group. I told people that this Eagles secondary is gonna have two great young corners for a long, long time.”
The Eagles did not have to wait a long time for their rookies to develop.
DeJean allowed 329 receiving yards and zero touchdowns when covering receivers in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus.
That ranked him as the ninth-most effective slot corner in the league among the 42 players who played at least 100 snaps at that spot.
Mitchell had nine pass breakups — 11th among perimeter corners — and he allowed a target once in 8.3 coverage snaps — 16th out of 127 qualifying players.
“I would say they’re kind of integrated on their own,’’ third-year safety Reed Blankenship said. “They’re smart guys. And I tell a lot of guys this, they don’t play like rookies. They don’t study like rookies. In the meeting room, they’re asking questions like vets. And I’m just sitting back, you know, I’m in the front and I’m just sitting there listening to their questions. I’m like, man, I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about him.
“Sitting in the meeting room and knowing that they know what their job is makes my life so much easier. Crazy hard, like you’re coming into a brand new system, totally different teammates and they had confidence.’’
Hearing and seeing the two rookies this week is a study in contrasts. Mitchell grew up in Williston, Fla., and played four years at Toledo.
He does not seem very comfortable surrounded by a gaggle of media, with questions coming at him from all over.
He responds cordially, mostly with one-sentence replies.
DeJean turns 22 on Super Bowl Sunday — he shares a birthday with Saquon Barkley, who turns 28 that day.
DeJean looks like a high school point guard — give his floppy hair a trim and he could have been an extra in the movie “Hoosiers.’’
He hails from Odebolt, Iowa, described on the municipality’s website as “a lovely small town nestled along tree-lined streets, located amid the rolling soybean and corn fields of Sac County in northwest Iowa.’’
For a time, it was considered the “Popcorn Center of the World.’’ Odebolt is known for having “weathered its years gracefully, and its 1,013 friendly people take great pride in current projects for the beautification and betterment of the community.’’
During the first two media sessions this week, DeJean was a popular focus of attention and he appeared completely at ease telling his story.
“Especially where I’m from, I’m from a small town, so just showing that’s something like this is possible no matter where you’re from, as long as you put the work in,’’ DeJean said. “You know, you can do anything you set your mind to, so that’s what I’d have to say to any young athlete out there.’’
It is quite a feat that Mitchell and DeJean are finalists for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
“I feel like we both can play the position and might surprise some people, but I don’t think it surprises us,’’ DeJean said. “We just go out there and do our job.’’
