Eagles Star Has Taken An Interest In Young CB

A.J. Brown has already taken a keen interest in the development of Eagles' first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell.

Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - Considering how much Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had thrown at cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the rookie's first NFL training camp, it seemed logical that the veteran coach might have wanted to see what his prized prospect could do against the team's top receiver, All-Pro A.J. Brown.

Turns out what has turned into some heavyweight battles between the two weren't team-directed, it was Brown seeking out the young CB.

Brown smiled and shook his head no during a video conference Thursday when asked by Eagles on SI if the matchups were by design.

“That’s not by design," Brown said. "That’s me kind of picking a fight with him, trying to get him going. Like you said, he likes to talk trash at me. But I’m just picking a fight with him to make practices interesting.

"He’s not fazed. Guys are going to talk. I’m not really a talker on the field, but guys are going to talk, and he has to compete. He’s been doing a great job. We’ve been battling on the 1-on-1s."

Earlier this week Mitchell locked down Brown to the point quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't even throw the ball, a rare occurrence in a 1-on-1 rep. The rematch saw Brown produce an other-worldly one-handed catch in the end zone, ruled out of bounds due to Mitchell allowing little room for ball placement with his tight coverage.

Brown, a team captain, often takes an interest in the younger cornerbacks and is particularly intrigued by the ones with the chops to give him a battle in press coverage situations.

“I know these are camp battles but ultimately I’m just trying to get him prepared for when we play in September and that can carry on," the star receiver said. "Like I said, he doesn’t back down, he hasn’t backed down not one time and that’s what I want to see."

Mitchell's willingness to take on any role has also been noticed by the coaching staff. He's played both outside CB positions, and inside as both the first-team slot CB, as well as in dime coverage.

"That is a great thing," head coach Nick Sirianni said before Thursday's open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. "In this league you're going to be going up against really good wideouts week in, week out, and [Quinyon] gets to see that in practice. He gets it every single day. So he can't be fazed.

"It's been nice to see his mindset, going out there and just competing. I think you saw that when he was at the Senior Bowl with everything. Him going against all the top competition there. We saw that he was unfazed in those scenarios and that's where he was really able to shine. That mindset especially at that position, is critical. He can come out and play one play at a time and without getting fazed about who it is and really seeking out that good competition."

Mitchell arrived in Philadelphia as a quiet assuming kid who rarely spoke until Mitchell shut Brown down on a rep during the spring and punctuated that with a "trash route" burn.

If you could pinpoint a moment Brown got interested in the first-round pick, that was it.

“For sure, for sure,” Brown said when asked if he's paying attention to Mitchell's reaction to all of these interactions.

It isn't just a one-way street for the Eagles' best player, though.

"Also, like I said, for me, it makes practice very interesting when somebody’s over there chirping. It gets me going," Brown said. "Because these days are long, these days are long and you don’t just want to go through practice if you didn’t catch a ball or whatever.

"You want some competitors on the other side too. Not saying the other guys doesn’t do that but you all know (Darius) Slay like I know Slay. Not too much is going to get to him. He’s going to laugh everything off. But Q, he’s going to be locked in and he’s going to talk his talk.”

And the early returns are Mitchell is also going to walk his walk.

“I think I’m kind of building a relationship with him because I don’t think he’s soft-spoken anymore,” Brown said. “Me and his relationship, it’s a lot of going back and forth. I think just seeing him outside of football, he’s quiet, he’s kind of to himself and that’s not a bad thing. But you see if you continue to talk to him and spend time with him, he’ll open up to you as he has with me.”

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