Cameron Mitchell, CB Northwestern: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Mitchell was a three-star recruit from Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Ill. in the class of 2019

Northwestern’s Cameron Mitchell is one of many talented cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft class. Mitchell likely won’t hear his name called in the top 100 picks, but he should compete for an early Day 3 selection.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Cameron Mitchell, CB Northwestern: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior boundary corner from Bolingbrook, Ill.

Background: Mitchell was a three-star recruit from Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Ill. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,116 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,008 for On3.com. Mitchell was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 75 grade out of 100. Mitchell committed to Northwestern over offers from Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and other non-Power Five programs. In high school, he earned four varsity letters and was a two-time team captain. Mitchell received Southwest Suburban All-Conference honors as a junior and senior. As a senior, he made the 83rd News-Gazette All-State Team and All-Area Team. Mitchell’s father, Deon, played wide receiver at Northern Illinois.

2022 Production: 11 games, 52 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 9 passes defensed

2021 Production: 12 games, 43 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 5 passes defensed

2020 Production: 9 games, 18 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, 0.5 sack, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed

2019 Production: 4 games, 1 tackle (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed one game in 2022, injured vs. Penn State (2022) missing most of the fourth quarter

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

Pros: Age, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, special teams ace with tackle contributions, works from one route to the next in zone, some experience in soft-shoe press, shows patience early in the receiver’s release, waits to declare his hips, crowds wide receivers at the catch point, reads the quarterback’s eyes to anticipate throws, quick to close on short routes, route recognition and response time improved from 2021 to 2022, willing to bump and be physical with receivers downfield, will bump receivers off their routes, tight ends don’t stress him athletically in coverage, excellent closing burst, awesome in run defense vs. Penn State (2022), willing contributor in the run game, wrap-up tackler, excels at tracking the ball carrier in run defense, willing to get physical and challenge blockers, upside as a blitzer flashed, disguises his blitzes well

Cons: Three penalties in 2021 and 2022, ball production, arm length appears average at best, minor hip stiffness, foot speed and footwork could improve, limited snaps in man coverage, false steps when trying to mirror receivers near the line of scrimmage, rarely gets physical in true press reps, stressed vertically by speed, not frequently asked to mirror releases then carry receivers vertically, allows too much cushion when in off man or zone sometimes surrendering the first down, overcautious about protecting the deep pass leads to opening comeback routes and underneath throws, slight delay sticking with in-breaking routes, struggles to disengage from tight end blocks, doesn’t consistently drive through ball carriers as a tackler, occasionally slides off tackles

Overview: Mitchell is unofficially listed at 6'0", 195 lbs. The Northwestern product primarily aligned as a boundary corner in zone coverage for the Wildcats. He has a clear path to the field as a rookie because of his extensive special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Mitchell was a high-end special teamer at Northwestern, making multiple tackles on the coverage units. He shows good awareness in zone coverage to work from one route to the next and stay anchored in his assignment. Mitchell has some experience in soft-shoe press coverage. He is patient early in the receiver’s release and waits until the receiver declares before opening his hips. Mitchell doesn’t have great size or arm length, but he crowds wide receivers at the catch point. The redshirt junior reads the quarterback’s eyes to anticipate throws and quickly closes on short routes. His route recognition and reaction time showed significant improvement from 2021 to 2022. Mitchell is willing to bump receivers off their routes and be physical downfield. Tight ends don’t stress him athletically in coverage, but they give him problems as blockers. Mitchell offers plenty of upside in run defense. In Northwestern’s rainy 17-7 loss to Penn State, Mitchell played downhill and led all defenders in the game with nine solo tackles. He’s a wrap-up tackler who excels at tracking the ball carrier. The former three-star recruit challenges blockers and closes downhill with excellent burst. While he’s a willing run defender, Mitchell sometimes slips off tackles and doesn’t consistently drive through ball carriers. He didn’t have great ball production at Northwestern and committed three penalties in each of the past two seasons. Mitchell’s arm length is average at best, and he suffers from some minor hip stiffness. There’s room for his foot speed and footwork to improve. The Illinois native predominantly played zone in college, which makes it unlikely he’ll offer upside in a man-heavy scheme at the NFL level. He commits false steps when trying to mirror receivers near the line of scrimmage and rarely gets physical with receivers in press coverage at the line. Mitchell is stressed vertically by speed and wasn’t asked to mirror releases then carry receivers vertically often. He allows too much cushion in off man or zone and is overcautious about protecting the deep pass, leading to comeback routes and underneath throws sometimes being completed for first downs in front of him. Mitchell suffers from a slight delay when trying to stick with in-breaking routes in man coverage.

Overall, Mitchell is a patient zone corner who makes up for his average athletic traits with awareness and physicality. Mitchell doesn’t project as a starting-caliber corner in 2023, but he has the potential to earn starting snaps by the end of his rookie contract.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside boundary or field corner in a zone-dominant scheme

Round Projection: Early Fifth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-01-23