Jalen Mills named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills grabs his first weekly award after his big game last Sunday.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had their fair share of young players improve over the last year. One thing is for sure, Eagles second-year cornerback Jalen Mills is one of those guys. The former seventh-round pick has been silencing his critics with ease this season. After being recognized as one of the worst cornerbacks of 2016, Mills has bounced back an end to anybody doubting his ability to play in the NFL.

Mills is coming off of a big game against the San Francisco 49ers. He had three tackles along with a pick-six interception that he took in for 37-yards. That play would go down as his first NFL touchdown as the Eagles soared past the winless 49ers 33-10. Mills’ impressive return was the highlight of the Eagles big victory. It was so impressive that it earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award, which is his first NFL award in his young career. That also makes him the first Eagles cornerback to win this award since Lito Sheppard in 2007.

The Announcement:

Mills’ moving ahead:

As the rest of the Eagles defense soars, Mills continues to stand out. He is currently ranked fourth for total tackles on the team with 42 total tackles. He also leads the team in interceptions and yards with three picks for 53 yards. Mills has come a long way since last season where he forced zero turnovers.

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As the defense gets healthier, Mills has surely made his case that he will be losing his spot to no one. The progress that he has made between last season and this season has been remarkable. If he can keep this up, who knows, maybe Mills could make a case to be a Pro Bowl candidate. Obviously, we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, but his progress has definitely not gone unnoticed. His award-winning week sure shows that.