From Dane Brugler...
STRENGTHS: Plays with enough size, speed and length to stay in phase ... footwork stays controlled and on top of routes to contest stop/comeback routes ... solid
technician with athletic transitional skill out of his breaks ... anticipatory and feels route combinations around him (comfortable with two-to-one reads) ... shows
excellent timing once he locates the football to gracefully disrupt passing windows without going through receivers ... physically competitive in press and downfield,
and receivers know they are in for a dogfight ... quick to support the run and stays loose in his breakdown to finish in space (11 tackles on 2022 Penn State tape) ...
called for only two coverage penalties in 2022 ... productive on special teams (seven career tackles) and well-schooled to be a core teams guy ... has the skill set to
play inside or outside.
WEAKNESSES: Lacks recovery burst, giving skilled receivers a chance to create separation when caught on his heels ... can be fooled by initial route movements, and
excitement to attack passing lanes will draw him out of position ... only two career interceptions and left a few others on the field ... enthusiastic, physical hands to
connect in press, but needs to break that contact post-release (see 81-yard catch allowed on 2022 Duke tape) ... can be covered up by perimeter blocks and needs to
improve his hand use to gain his freedom ... improved tackling technique will help compensate for his average size and play strength against downhill runners.
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Northwestern, Mitchell played boundary cornerback in former defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s base Cover 4 scheme. When his
close friend, Greg Newsome, was banged up late in the 2020 season, he stepped into his role and quickly developed into one of the team’s best defensive players. A
smooth, competitive corner, Mitchell has athletic footwork with the play strength and coverage timing to disrupt passing windows (he just needs to pull down more
interceptions). Though he is fearless jumping plays, NFL quarterbacks will look to expose his greedy tendencies and catch him out of position. Overall, Mitchell needs
to continue and develop his eye discipline to better match up with NFL receivers, but his athleticism, aggressiveness and smarts give him the scheme-versatility
that NFL teams desire. He will be ready to compete for NFL starting reps as a rookie.
GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 85 overall)
They got Newsome's buddy so he doesn't pursue a trade request! Hahaha.
I see he played the boundary, but I wonder if he has the skill set to play in the slot. We still need someone for that role.
Was reading on twitter that he projects to be a slot corner. With Ward, Newsome, Emerson, Mitchell and Green … we should be good at CB
Dane Brugler, The Athletic: “Plays with enough size, speed and length to stay in phase … footwork stays controlled and on top of routes to contest stop/comeback routes … solid technician with athletic transitional skill out of his breaks … anticipatory and feels route combinations around him (comfortable with two-to-one reads) … shows excellent timing once he locates the football to gracefully disrupt passing windows without going through receivers … physically competitive in press and downfield, and receivers know they are in for a dogfight … quick to support the run and stays loose in his breakdown to finish in space (11 tackles on 2022 Penn State tape) … called for only two coverage penalties in 2022 … productive on special teams (seven career tackles) and well-schooled to be a core teams guy … has the skill set to play inside or outside.”
Lance Zierlein, http://NFL.com: “Mitchell provides good toughness and play strength but a lack of functional fluidity to stay connected with NFL route runners. His lack of length could be a problem against size and teams might consider bumping him inside to play the role of a run-defending nickel back. Mitchell is certainly fearless and might be better suited to play as a down safety with nickel potential against certain teams. He’s been an active tackler on punt and kick cover teams, which bolsters his chances of making a roster. P
I had a feeling we'd look for a nickel corner late in the draft, as I think Thomas Graham is only CB with nickel background on our roster. Cameron Mitchell, Kei'trel Clark and Mehki Blackmon were some corners I watched as most were noted to be later guys whom play nickel or project to nickel. Mitchell seems very consistent versus Blackmon (who had a huge jump to round 3 come draft day, when most projections had him 7th round pick or UDFA) I like this kid, and I'm sure they envision him battling Graham for those nickel duties. He comes downhill nicely for a CB, just like Daylon McCutcheon used to.