Eagles 1st-Round Draft Pick CB Quinyon Mitchell

QUINYON MITCHELL: Good afternoon everybody. Hope everybody is having a great day and I’m excited to be here.

Q. What’s the last few hours been like for you since getting drafted? (Dave Zangaro)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, just been fast. A lot of emotions and stuff like that. And then just coming here and just meeting with everybody again.

So it’s been pretty good.

Q. How much did you know about the Eagles organization, if anything? What did you learn so far in your short time here about them maybe that you didn’t know? (Ed Kracz)

QUINYON MITCHELL: So what I knew is just a great organization, great people, great fans, great city. Then when I came here I just confirmed that with my own two eyes. Just great people.

Q. You mentioned yesterday CB Darius Slay and CB James Bradberry. Sounded like you had followed them a little bit. Was that a quick crash course or did you know them very well? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, I don’t know them personally but I watched their games a lot and stuff like that. I then just wanted to model my game after [CB Darius] Slay, and then really just want to come in and soak everything up from them.

Q. Have you heard from either of them or any other members of team? (Olivia Reiner)

QUINYON MITCHELL: [QB] Jalen Hurts texted me last night and wished me good luck and congratulated me, so I thank him for that.

Q. What about CB Darius Slay, his game that sort of drew you to him? (John McMullen)

QUINYON MITCHELL: The biggest thing is longevity. Been doing it for a long time, been playing good football, great person, technician. So I say all those things.

Q. What made you stay at Toledo for that last year? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: I would say the relationships. Kind of like the same thing in this building. Coach has said building everything off relationships and connections, so that’s why I stayed at Toledo.

Q. What was that last summer for you like though? All the teams, Former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban said you were No. 1 there, transfer portal big boy. I guess was it a whirlwind with coaches reaching our to you? How did that go for you? (E.J. Smith)

QUINYON MITCHELL: No. Nobody really reached out to me. I got some followers on Twitter, but I didn’t really indulge in it, so I couldn’t tell you.

Q. You were in the green room. What was that like being in there with the other prospects and family? What was your immediate reaction when you got word you were being drafted by the Eagles? (Ed Kracz)

QUINYON MITCHELL: It was great. A lot of emotions in that room last night, stuff like that. When I got the call, just really excited. I mean, glad to be here. I feel like it’s a great fit, so I’m really just excited and ready to get to work.

Q. Are you someone that you need to play now, or you okay with if you have to sit for a while, learn? What is your approach to your rookie year? (Reuben Frank)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, my approach to my rookie year is just come in and do everything they ask me to do. Play hard, play physical, be a great teammate, and just work hard. Whatever they ask me to do, I just do it.

Q. How would you describe your hometown? Small, right? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, 2,500 people. Everybody know everybody. A lot of family, a lot of connections in that hometown.

So, yeah, it’s a great town.

Q. What did you like about growing up there? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Just the people. I mean, just like you know everybody. Everybody knows you. You at some person house and they at your house. So just a lot of connection, a lot of relationships.

Q. Having said that, presumably the town is going a little bonkers with you getting picked. What’s it been like? (Rob Kuestner)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, they been reaching out to me. They had a couple of draft parties last night. They’re super excited, really just for the kids. I’m the first one from my hometown, so just giving them something to look up to and hope they’ll be better than me.

Q. Any advice you’ve been given the last 24 hours that’s really stuck with you how to approach your upcoming NFL career? (Chris Franklin)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Just soak it in. Last night I got the call and I’m here right now. Things turn around fast. Just soak in the moment, and after that get ready to work.

Q. How much sleep have you had? (Ed Kracz)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Not too much.

Q. What was your first trip to Toledo like? What do you remember about the first time you went there? Obviously far away from where you grew up, different kind of place. (Reuben Frank)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, so I first time I went I went in July. It was really hot. I went back in December and it was real cold. That’s what I remember.

Q. Pre-draft process is kind of a whirlwind for you guys. Did you have a feeling going into last night how much the Eagles were interested? Did you have a feel? (John McMullen)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, when I came here on my top 30 visit was a lot of love shown. I connected with everybody, met with everybody, so I felt really good about it.

Q. Your belief of relationships trumping money, where does that come from and that sense of loyalty? (Tim McManus)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, just going out of high school, I graduated and didn’t get to go to college right away. Toledo just kind of stuck with me, so that just showed me be there for those who are there for you.

Q. You went two years without playing – 2019 and 2020. Could you not play either one of those years? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: No, I sat out for six months in 2019 and then played in 2020 because of COVID.

Q. Was that a limited season for you guys? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yes, it was a COVID season.

Q. Were those two years hard for you? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, just pushing through, like I said, just persevering. You can go through things and you’re going to have setbacks, but just keep going.

Q. Did that time in your life change you? (Dave Zangaro)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, it matured me a lot. Made me become a pro, handle my business on and off the field, so it definitely matured me a lot.

Q. From the time high school was done to the time you went to Toledo, what were you doing? Were you working? Just working out? (Reuben Frank)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, I was just working out every day, just sticking to making the right decision to hang around the right people.

Q. When you came here for your top 30 visit, did you shoot any hoops with Head Coach Nick Sirianni? (Ed Kracz)

QUINYON MITCHELL: [Jokingly] He was scared. He was scared.

Q. You said yesterday that your grades kept you from maybe going some other places. (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah.

Q. What did you learn from that and how proud were you to get a degree? (Bob Brookover)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, I learned that things happen for a reason. I feel like that was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Just going through it I didn’t really realize why it was happening to me, but now I look back and I’m glad that it happened.

So just taking that in.

Q. There is a video going pretty viral on Twitter of your teammates at Toledo when they were watching the draft last night when you were selected. What does that group of people mean to you, and how does perhaps that kind of family atmosphere hope to carry you through to develop within the culture here in Philly? (Gabriella Galati)

QUINYON MITCHELL: It means a lot. You go through those hot summer days, long workouts just grinding it out, good days and stuff like that. It means a lot to me. I don’t want to be the only player from Toledo that’s getting drafted in the first round.

I mean, I know those guys are going to work and do their thing, too.

Q. With that said, it’s been a long time since a Toledo player got drafted in the first round. (Dave Zangaro)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah.

Q. Do you feel a sense of pride being that guy? (Dave Zangaro)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, I feel like it means a lot just to represent Toledo, that town, that university, and everybody there. So I feel good about it.

Q. You mentioned Eagles QB Jalen Hurts reached out to you. Did Eagles CB Darius Slay reach out at all? (Dave Zangaro)

QUINYON MITCHELL: [Jokingly] I think he was asleep.

Q. Heard about your work ethic, what you’ve done especially practice after your top 30 visits. Where do you get that work ethic from? Who instilled that in you? (Chris Franklin)

QUINYON MITCHELL: I would just say when I had football taken away from me, just made me realize don’t take it for granted and work hard every day.

Q. Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle made a point you’re going to embrace Philadelphia pretty quickly. Obviously he and Head Coach Nick Sirianni have a relationship. I guess that’s helped to have a stamp of approval with your new boss from the old boss, right? (Rob Kuestner)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Yeah, I mean, two things they relayed to me was just the relationships. I mean, in the building and stuff like that.

So I feel really good about it.

Q. Going back to your hometown, how do you feel like growing up in a smaller town shaped your mentality and your approach to football as a whole? (Olivia Reiner)

QUINYON MITCHELL: Just having that underdog mentality, demanding respect wherever I go and stuff like that. That’s what it taught me.