3 reasons why Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell deserves NFL DROY over Rams' Jared Verse

Jared Verse and Quinyon Mitchell are two players who might not be on the radar of many national fans this season, but they should be. Verse is already drawing comparisons to Aaron Donald as the Rams' first first-round pick selected since Jared Goff. However, he draws secondary attention to Quinyon Mitchell in the Defensive Rookie of the Year comparisons. Here's why:

Three reasons why Quinyon Mitchell deserves NFL DROY over Jared Verse

#1 - Higher profile position

Quinyon Mitchell at Cleveland Browns at Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Imagn

First, the cornerback role is almost like the offensive line. Aside from interceptions, they only get attention when something bad happens. Mitchell has quietly earned a 74.6 PFF grade in his rookie season.

Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Jared Verse, meanwhile, only gets the spotlight when he sacks the quarterback. As such, despite plenty of conversation about Verse, Mitchell has been outperforming him quietly in the secondary.

The Los Angeles Rams pass rusher has earned just 4.5 sacks this year and while there is time to add more, he could also still fall well short of 10 sacks, which hurts his stock for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

#2 - Forced to step up without Darius Slay

Darius Slay at Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals - Source: Imagn

Mitchell also hasn't had the luxury of sitting quietly behind Darius Slay. Slay has been dealing with injuries. And as a cornerback on the plus side of 30, Slay has needed more from Mitchell.

Some cornerbacks cave under the pressure as it could only take one bad mistake to unravel a cornerback. Mitchell has stayed composed even when facing some of the best receivers in the game this season.

#3 - Tougher assignments

Quinyon Mitchell at Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles - Source: Imagn

Mitchell has defended some of the great receivers in the game this season including Ja'Marr Chase, Zay Flowers, CeeDee Lamb and Terry McLaurin among others. For some cornerbacks, even one snap lined up against these receivers is too much.

Quinyon Mitchell has held his own, proving himself during his rookie campaign. While Verse might need to contend with the occasional double team, the offensive lines in the NFL are inherently more spotty than a one-on-one battle against Ja'Marr Chase, for example.

If Verse can find just one weakness out of potentially six or seven blockers, he could get pressures and sacks. Meanwhile, Mitchell has one job: defend the best. He has few options unless he is granted safety help over the top, but even then, he could surrender plenty of critical first downs and chunk plays if he can't match up. He has proven the ability to do so.