The remarkable impact Darius Slay has made on Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell

The remarkable impact Darius Slay has made on Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

They don’t act like rookies and they don’t play like rookies, and one of the biggest reasons is a teammate they were drafted to replace.

The Eagles are the second NFL team ever to reach a Super Bowl with two rookie starting cornerbacks and the first since the 1981 49ers with Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright.

And Darius Slay – Slay – is a huge reason why.

“I think anytime you have a veteran who is so transparent about his struggles as an early player, whether it’s stuff on and off the field, and he shares those experiences with young guys, that’s so valuable,” Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker said Thursday.

“He really embraces that role because he had great leaders when he was a young player in Detroit. And so he really embraces the fact that he knew how impactful that was for him. So he tries to have the same impact for those guys. He’s a phenomenal teammate.

“I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to coach him and that our young guys have an opportunity to be around him as well.”

Among 36 corners who have played 50 defensive snaps this postseason, Mitchell has the 2nd-highest Pro Football Reference cornerback grade and DeJean has the 9th-highest.

They’ve been doing it all year and now they’ll line up alongside Slay against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome Sunday.

“To have a guy like that who’s played for such a long time and is so willing to give back to us, his knowledge, what he’s learned throughout his career to us young guys, I think it’s great,” DeJean said Thursday at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the Eagles’ home this week.

“I hope my career goes a long time so I’m able to do that for the young guys who come in here after me.”

The only Eagles rookie to start in a Super Bowl was cornerback Roynell Young back in 1980 in their Super Bowl XV loss to the Raiders, also at the Superdome.

It’s rare and remarkable what DeJean and Mitchell have done. Only 12 rookie cornerbacks have started in the first 58 Super Bowls, only six since 1984.

But Mitchell and DeJean certainly don’t act like rookies or play like rookies. Thanks in great part to Slay.

“He’s meant a lot to me,” Mitchell said Thursday. “I don’t think I would have had the success I’ve had without him. He’s been a big brother, been a teammate. I can come to him about anything. On the football side, he’s helped me a lot, but in real life, outside of football, he’s helped me a lot as well.

“Talking to guys from other teams, that kind of shocked me, because that’s not always the case. But we’ve got great veterans here.”

Slay takes a tremendous amount of pride in helping Mitchell and DeJean navigate the challenges of their rookie year. He really sees it as part of his job, part of his obligation to the franchise.

And when he hears how much his guidance and mentorship means to them?

“Man, it makes me very emotional,” he said. “I love the fact that they appreciate what I’ve been helping them do. Man, I appreciate them for real, honestly, man. Because they keep me young, they keep me going.”

Slay has had a very good year himself as he’s fought through a number of nagging injuries. Along with safeties Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, they form the NFL’s No. 1 pass defense.

Slay’s future is up in the air. He’s 34 years old now, and he’s spoken openly about retiring soon, although he hasn’t specifically said it will be after this season.

But whenever he does move on, he’ll be watching Mitchell and DeJean closely, expecting them to surpass everything he’s ever done. And he’s a six-time Pro Bowler.

“I was thankful that we got both of them and that I got to help both of them reach their best potential that they possibly could,” he said Thursday. “So I hope they continue to keep being great. I told both of them, if they’re not greater than me, I probably failed.

“I want both of them boys to be way better than I ever was. So, yeah, so I’ll just continue to keep leading the way for them.

“So those guys really were a great addition to us as a secondary. Other than that, they’ve been just great friends. And I appreciate them both. I call them like my kids. They’re my kids.”

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