The Philadelphia Eagles watched Saquon Barkley put the Washington Commanders away on Thursday. But Quinyon Mitchell locked down his portion of the field in the 26-18 victory.

Mitchell became the walking lock emoji at Lincoln Financial Stadium. Noted by iHeartRadio Eagles radio personality Victor Williams, the rookie cornerback put the lockers on star Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Another radio personality chimed in on Mitchell's dominating coverage night: Former NFL cornerback Darius Butler.

“Should be the favorite for the DROY (Defensive Rookie of the Year) right now. Quinyon Mitchell,” the Pat McAfee Show co-host Butler posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) while including the lock emoji to end his sentence.

One more national personality raved about Mitchell's night in NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe. He believes Mitchell officially is out in front for a prestigious award.

“Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell should be the early frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year,” Wolfe posted on his X account.

The former Toledo Rockets star surrendered one catch for 10 yards according to Pro Football Focus. Next Gen Stats added Mitchell covered the Pro Bowl WR McLaurin on 19 of 20 wide alignments. Mitchell got targeted just once, resulting in an incompletion.

Terry McLaurin gives blunt take on Quinyon Mitchell performance

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) plays against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field.
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Opposing cornerbacks have endured difficulty in covering McLaurin over the years. The Commanders' WR1 has shredded defenses with four straight 1,000-yard seasons. He entered Philadelphia averaging 15.1 yards per catch and needing one touchdown to match his previous career-high of seven touchdowns.

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Mitchell, however, becomes the newest cornerback to place him on an island and lock him down. McLaurin gave an honest take of Mitchell's night via E.J. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“He’s a good corner. He doesn’t really play like a rookie,” McLaurin said.

For a high-profile NFL wide receiver to say that toward a rookie validates how advanced Mitchell has become early.

McLaurin isn't the only high-profile WR Mitchell has faced. The rising Eagles defender has faced four different past Pro Bowl wideouts in Amari Cooper, Mike Evans, Ja'Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb. All four have failed to surpass 20 receiving yards or catch more than two passes facing Mitchell.

The Eagles discovered quite the mid-major college football find in the 2024 NFL Draft. While Mitchell became the first CB taken, he fell all the way to No. 22 to Philadelphia.

Since then, Mitchell is establishing himself as the league's newest lockdown star. His head coach Nick Sirianni first gave a strong endorsement of his first round draft selection in Week 3. Even before Sirianni, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio became impressed by Mitchell's sample of dominance in the preseason.

He now earned the respect of a rival wide receiver after bringing the clamps onto McLaurin. Barkley wore down the Commanders in the fourth quarter. Mitchell shut down his side of the field for all four quarters.