Eagles land two on a list of players who could earn a top spot in NFL positional rankings
Eagles land two on a list of players who could earn a top spot in NFL positional rankings Philadelphia's two defensive studs Quinyon Mitchell and Jalen Carter made a PFF list of players who could be the best at their position in 2025
Philadelphia has the best defense in the NFL, and two young stud defenders played major roles in the Eagles' dominance of Kansas City in Super Bowl 59. PFF recently examined which NFL players could leapfrog to the top of positional rankings in 2025.
Two Eagles players made the list, with Jalen Carter arguably already being the king of his hill.
DI Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
What PFF said: Carter is already one of the NFL's most dynamic interior pass rushers. Over the past two seasons, he ranks fourth in pass-rush grade and has posted an impressive 14.5% pass-rush win rate. His shortcomings as a run defender are the only thing keeping him from sitting atop the defensive tackle rankings. His 55.8 run-defense grade in 2024 placed him outside the top 60 at the position.
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
What PFF said: While his teammate Cooper DeJean finished 2024 as the highest-graded cornerback in the NFL, Quinyon Mitchell's development will be just as exciting to watch in Philadelphia this season. Mitchell tied for sixth in the league with a 79.2 coverage grade, recording 10 pass breakups and two interceptions. What sets Mitchell apart is his versatility. He ranked fifth in man coverage grade at 82.2 — one spot ahead of DeJean — and added a strong 77.4 grade in zone coverage. That made him one of just three qualified cornerbacks, along with DeJean and Christian Benford, to post at least a 75.0 in both categories last season. Opposing offenses are now well aware of DeJean's ability, but targeting Mitchell as an alternative could prove to be a costly mistake.
In his second NFL season, Carter earned All-Pro honors after logging 42 tackles, 12 for loss, 4.5 sacks, 61 combined QB hits and pressures, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. Carter has performed at a high level despite playing 84 percent of the defensive snaps, up from 48 percent as a rookie.
Mitchell ranked 3rd among NFL CBs with 16 forced incompletions, trailing only Zyon McCollum (17) and Denzel Ward (17). He was 3rd among CBs in yards allowed per coverage snap (0.8) behind Pat Surtain (0.6) and Derek Stingley (0.7) (min. 600 coverage snaps).
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