The rolled the proverbial dice, and landed tight end James Mitchell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.Why was Mitchell a roll of the dice?It is because is a wild card in the world of scouting.He
Jose Castillo Jersey is a player who probably would have gone way before the fifth round, had it not been for the torn ACL he suffered early last season.Mitchell only played in two games and caught five pa ses, and then the knee injury happened.He played in 20 games during the two seasons prior. The highlights from his college statistics were his 16.1 yards-per-catch average and the seven touchdowns he managed to haul in for Virginia Tech. Mitchell also showed leadership characteristics, as he had been named as a team captain for the 2021 season.The elephant in the room is Mitchells knee and how it will respond when he hits the field for theThat is anyones gue s at this point, but Mitchell did tell reporters after he was selected by Detroit that hes cleared to return to the field in June without restrictions. One can only imagine that Detroit general manager Brad Holmes must have gotten the green light from the Lions medical staff prior to making this pick. While I am not a huge fan of projecting players based mostly on game film from a couple seasons
Brad Hand Jersey ago, I can say if Mitchells knee is right, he may very well turn out to be a steal.I know thats a big if, but its worth the risk in the fifth round, if you ask me. If it was the first few rounds, I would not be nearly as excited about
Luis Torrens Jersey the pick. But, in the fifth round, to potentially get a second-third-round talent makes sense. Yes, looked that good as a receiving tight end dating back to his 2020 game film. I wasnt crazy about him as a blocker, however.With the departure of veteran tight end Darren Fells, there is ample opportunity to step up and become starter T.J. Hockensons backup.Scroll to ContinueSitting on the Lions depth chart right now behind Hockenson is .In 2021, Wright managed to put up a meager 12 catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.Id say there is a real opportunity for Mitchell to step up and become the No. 2 tight end in Detroit.#82 James Mitchell - 6-foot-3, 242 pounds 2021 game film reviewed: Middle Tenne see (mi sed most of the season)2020 game film reviewed: North Carolina and North Carolina State Grade: C+Scouting ReportAthletic and fluid, big-framed tight end, with good receiving skills, who works at run blocking. On pa s plays, releases methodically into the short-to-intermediate route levels. His basketball background shows when shielding out defenders from the ball. Catches using his hands. Competitive and not the easiest to bring down after the catch. Works for
Dinelson Lamet Jersey additional yardage, and can make a defender mi s in the open field. Excels down the
Anderson Espinoza Jersey seams, at the intermediate route level. Showed some nifty and polished route running. Can stretch a defense. Showed good concentration. Even took a couple handoffs in the backfield, and scored one TD.An adequate run blocker who gave the effort. More of a hold-the-point positional blocker who uses his hands, but relies more on leverage (hook blocks on the edge) to get the job done. A solid-looking, well-rounded prospect. When I watched Mitchell play, former longtime NFL tight end Fred Baxter came to mind.Will he be that good? Time will tell, but I am thinking Mitchell has a really good chance of beating out Wright and making this team (if he can stay healthy).
