PHILADELPHIA - Quinyon Mitchell's first NFL season was so impressive that the sequel needs a hook to live up to the standard already set.
For the talented second-year cornerback, that includes improved ball skills and embracing a CB1 role where he may shadow the opposition's top receiver if needed.
Mitchell, the runner-up for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award behind Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse, played second fiddle to six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay last season.
This time, Mitchell is the headliner with Slay across the Keystone State in Pittsburgh.
The Toledo product's rookie season was defined by stellar coverage and a quickly developed reputation that resulted in few footballs thrown Mitchell's way.
What was missing was the ball skills that turn sticky coverage players into household names.
Mitchell failed to record an interception in the regular season despite a handful of opportunities. The worm turned in the playoffs when "Q" snared a game-sealing pick against Green Bay on Wild Card Weekend and followed that up with another INT in the NFC Championship Game against Washington.
The improved ball skills carried over to training camp earlier this week with a one-handed pick when Jalen Hurts underthrew A.J. Brown, the QB1's first INT of the summer.
“I think [ball skills] can improve, obviously, with work, and I think the work he’s put in has made it [improve],” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said earlier this week. “[Quinyon] has improved. He had a nice interception, which I don’t know if he [would make] last year, but ball skills are a natural thing, too, so the improvement you can make is incremental, but any improvement he can make, he’ll make because he’ll work at it.”
Mitchell explained some of the work he's done with Eagles' strength and conditioning coach Fernando Noriega, including a reactive catch exercise featuring a three-pronged device with different colors tossed in the air. A color is called out, and Mitchell must snare it.
“Every day before we go out to practice, I do something with our strength coach, Coach ’Nando,” Mitchell said. “So that’s just been something that I’ve been really just trying to work on."
Mitchell's play, coupled with his work ethic, has Fangio and secondary coach Christian Parker envisioning travel plans for the emerging second-year star.
Over the past week, that's meant making sure the Eagles' other top outside CBs -- Kelee Ringo, Adoree' Jackson and Eli Ricks -- all get work on both sides while Mitchell has followed superstar A.J. Brown at times.
“It’s been really fun,” Mitchell said of working against Brown. “Each and every day, I go out, I kind of treat it like a game. He’s been getting me better, but at the same time, I want to make him better."
Teammates are also taking notice on just how confident Mitchell has been this summer.
“That’s something that you can see,” Hurts said. “I’m his biggest fan because it’s something about that on the other side of the ball when you see guys taking those strides and growing and competing and knowing that they’re going against the best of the best every day. I know he’s continued to take those steps, and that’s what he’s showing daily.”
Ricks labeled it confident and comfortable.
"He carried himself like a veteran last year, and even this year, I would say he's carrying himself like that even more," said Ricks. "Much more confident, and we're doing some more things with him this year, putting more responsibility on him. I'm not gonna obviously say what, but, he's definitely comfortable with everything, and he looks ready to go."
When pressed Ricks copped to the pending travel itinerary.
"For sure," Ricks said when asked about he and the other outside CBs getting reps on each side being related to Mitchell's travel plans. "I definitely think you need work on both sides. I predominantly played left my whole college career but now I'm starting to play right some more and Q's been moving around and stuff, so it's good we play both sides, and you just never know when things happen. ... I don't know where I'll be at, so it's perfect we have to play both."
Mitchell, meanwhile, is ready for when the trigger is pulled.
"I would love to [travel]," Mitchell said. "But whatever they ask of me I'm gonna do it."
