PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles selected Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell with the No. 22 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Mitchell ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine. The Eagles took a cornerback in the first round for the first time since 2002. The Eagles believe they have a shutdown cornerback who projects as an impact player with fellow cornerback Darius Slay in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme.
“I feel like right now, I'm with the right fit, I'm with the right organization with the right players, the right city,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell wasn't ready to declare himself a starter, saying he's “got some vets in front of me that I can really learn from.”
The pick was only the second big move of the night after they kept wide receiver A.J. Brown in the fold with a contract extension. The Eagles and Brown agreed to a three-year extension that includes $84 million in guaranteed money, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke Thursday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial terms were not announced.
Brown is set to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL at $32 million a season and he could earn as much as $96 million over the life of the extension.
Brown had 106 catches for 1,456 yards receiving last season after he had 88 catches for 1,496 yards in 2022 in his first season with the Eagles.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and the scouts have hit more often than they have missed in recent drafts — one reason the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in the 2022 season and followed with a 10-1 start last season before a late-season meltdown.
Jalen Hurts is already an all-time franchise steal, the second-round QB picked at No. 53 overall in 2020. DeVonta Smith, who signed an extension with $51 million in guaranteed money this week, is still a 2021 first-round bargain. Jordan Mailata went from an Australian ruby player to a seventh-round pick in 2018 to one of the best left tackles in the NFL. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was the No. 9 pick last season and finished second in the voting for 2023 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“We can't afford to get too cute,” Roseman said.
The Eagles also hold the 50th and 53rd overall picks in the second round. They have five other draft picks.
Roseman said he was “comfortable” the Eagles would get a player they wanted at 22, one reason why he didn't trade up in the draft.
“As long as we're in the same tier of grade in that round, we feel comfortable sitting,” he said. “If we get to a lower number, we try to move up.”
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Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell walks on stage during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell walks on stage during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell walks on stage during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Brittney Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago.
Life isn't what it once was for the perennial WNBA All-Star.
The 6-foot-8 center looks different and has different priorities. Gone are her familiar dreadlocks that couldn't be maintained during her incarceration. She regularly sees a therapist to help her cope after being imprisoned for 10 months. And since her release, Griner has been an advocate for the return of other Americans detained overseas.
She has met with President Joe Biden twice since her release, including once last month in Phoenix.
“Got to talk to him about a couple of people and just keep it on the forefront of everyone’s mind,” the Phoenix Mercury star said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “You want to get exposure and that keeps it on the forefront of people’s minds. Keep people accountable.”
Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February 2022. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.
She shares details about the harrowing experience in her new book — “Coming Home” — which comes out Tuesday.
Griner hopes one takeaway for anyone who reads the book will be a vivid picture of what detainees have to endure. She said it's why it took her all of last season to write it with Michelle Burford.
“I didn’t leave anything out from the detainment, to being over there, the conditions. As much as we could fit into a book, we basically did,” Griner said. “People will be shocked at some of the things.
"I hope it brings a little bit more of an understanding to the conditions that detainees go through.”
Griner says it is important people have a clear picture of what it's like for those Americans not home yet, including Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, so that no one gives up the fight.
“It took everyone to come together to bring me home,” she said. Government officials "have to make really hard decisions.”
Griner, who first met President Biden at the White House Correspondent's dinner in 2023 a few months after her return to the U.S., said she and her WNBA teammates must keep the momentum going to get everyone home.
“How are we going to do it? Bringing in families, playing videos, give them airtime?" she said. "Maybe someone that doesn’t know, sees (the book) and they write a letter to Congress that tips over the scale to get someone home.”
Griner said her days of playing basketball overseas during the WNBA offseason are over.
Though many WNBA players still play in international leagues to supplement their league salaries, Griner said she is done, except with USA Basketball. She hopes to be on the Olympic team at the Paris Games this summer, and the odds are in her favor that will happen.
Griner had played in China for a few years during the WNBA offseason, before making the move to Russia — where she had played since 2015 before her arrest.
It’s not just her ordeal in Russia, however, that is going to keep her home. Griner's wife, Cherelle, is expecting the couple’s first child.
“The only time I’ll go overseas is with Team USA,” Griner said. “I need to be in the states. About to be a parent. Last thing I want to do is be in and out of my kid’s life. I want to be there for everything. I don’t want to uproot my family and take them overseas with me. It’s too much.”
Griner, who has been an advocate for mental health for the past decade, said she sees a therapist regularly — something she did for several years before she went to Russia — and it helps her process what she endured while in prison.
“They are instrumental to my mental health,” Griner said about her sessions. “Everyone can benefit from having someone to talk to. Someone outside of their every day life. It just helps to have a different perspective on life from someone.
"That way if you do feel nervous or struggling with something, it’s very beneficial.”
The 33-year-old took a mental health break for several days last summer during the WNBA season, missing three games. She'll begin her 12th year in the league May 14.
Griner is looking forward to it after the welcome she received in her return last year. One of the only positives that Griner will take away from her ordeal was the outpouring of support she received from people in the form of letters they wrote to her in prison.
“The letters were amazing from the fans, teammates, opponents, GMs, they all meant so much to me,” she said. “It was very dark at times, especially going through the trial. When I was in isolation for weeks, it was an emotional rollercoaster and those letters made me remember that I wasn't forgotten.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
FILE - Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, right, hugs former college teammate Dallas Wings guard Odyssey Sims after a WNBA basketball basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, June 9, 2023. Griner says since her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago that she has used her platform as a WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist to advocate for the return of other Americans detained overseas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, center, hugs Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd, left, after a WNBA basketball game Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Life isn't what it once was for the perennial WNBA All-Star. (Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times via AP, File, Filer)
FILE - WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner speaks at a news conference, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Phoenix. While many WNBA players play in international leagues to supplement their incomes, Griner says the only time she'll ever play outside country again is with the USA Basketball. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
This cover image released by Knopf shows "Coming Home" by Brittney Griner, with Michelle Burford. (Knopf via AP)
FILE - WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, second from right, is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia, July 7, 2022. Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
FILE - Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) makes a layup during the second quarter of a WNBA basketball game against the Washington Mystics, July 23, 2023, in Washington. Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
FILE - WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner speaks to her lawyers from inside a cage in a courtroom in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia, on July 26, 2022. Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)
