Keaton Mitchell, RB East Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Mitchell was a three-star recruit from Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Ga. in the class of 2020

East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell is one of several explosive, undersized running backs in the 2023 NFL Draft. The junior won’t hear his name called in the top 100 selections, but he should generate buzz on early Day 3.

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Keaton Mitchell, RB East Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from McDonough, Ga.

Background: Mitchell was a three-star recruit from Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 1,817 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,791 for On3.com. Mitchell was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 70 grade out of 100. Eagle's Landing went 54-2 during his career, winning four consecutive Georgia Class A Private championships. Mitchell rushed for 4,347 yards and 88 touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons. In 2019, he amassed 192 carries for 1,838 yards and 39 touchdowns. In all, Mitchell amassed of 2,672 all-purpose yards thanks to his work catching passes, returning kicks, and returning punts. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution selected him as the 2019 Class A Region 5 Player of the Year. In 2018, Mitchell rushed for 2,509 yards and 49 touchdowns, the second-most in a single season in state history. He was the 2018 Class A Private Offensive Player of the Year for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and made the AJC's Southside All-Metro squad. Mitchell finished his junior season accounting for 2,544 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 979 yards and 20 touchdowns on 94 carries as a sophomore and 368 yards and six touchdowns on 27 carries as a freshman. Mitchell ran a 10.99 100-meter dash, a 22.42 200-meter dash, and was a member of the 4x100-meter relay team that set a school record. His father, Anthony Mitchell, played college football at Tuskegee and earned a roster spot on the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2000.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited 2022 Navy game with a hip pointer which led to missing the USF game, knocked out of 2022 BYU and Cincinnati games by targeting

Awards: 2021 First-Team All-AAC, 2022 First-Team All-AAC

Pros: Experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt coverage units, experienced kick returner, age, eliminated fumbles in 2022, quick feet, acceleration to put his foot in the ground and bounce runs outside, speed to turn the corner, speed to erase angles, presses the hole to suck in defenders before bouncing outside, patient behind his offensive line, explosive burst to reach the second and third level, home run speed, nice lateral agility, lateral bounce, finds cutback lanes, slips through small gaps, impressive open field vision, change of direction skills, agility and jukes to make defenders miss one-on-one in space, varies run pace to set up defenders for jukes, change of direction in small spaces, elusive runner, jump cuts, dead leg, stiff arm, breaks arm tackles on his lower body, productive pass catcher, linebackers can’t stick with him on routes

Cons: Lean frame, undersized, expanding history of minor injuries, limited vision and upside running between the tackles, defaults to bouncing runs outside, doesn’t offer much in goal line or short-yardage situations, doesn’t break tackles when hit high, not quite able to make the sudden sharp cuts need to qualify as twitchy, occasionally tracked down by defenders on long runs, limited route tree, bobbled receptions, four dropped passes in 2022, play strength limits his upside as a blocker, shouldn’t be trusted with pass protection duties

Overview: Mitchell took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 5082 and weighs 179 lbs. He has 9 2/8-inch hands, 30 6/8-inch arms, and a 74 6/8-inch wingspan. Mitchell offers excellent special teams versatility as a kick returner and member of the kick coverage and punt coverage units. The true junior is a young prospect who cut back on his fumbles in 2022. He plays with quick feet and borderline elite acceleration, which allows him to put his foot in the ground and bounce runs outside. Mitchell’s speed lets him turn the corner and erase pursuit angles. He presses the hole to suck in perimeter and second level defenders before bouncing outside. The Georgia native displays proper patience behind the offensive line. He has the explosive burst to reach the third level and hit home run plays. Mitchell’s lateral agility and bounce help him shift between gaps and makes defenders miss. He finds cutback lanes and slips through small gaps. Mitchell combines his open field vision, change of direction skills, and agility to juke defenders in space. He is an elusive runner with jump cuts, dead legs, and stiff arms in his arsenal. Mitchell can’t survive contact up high because of his lean frame and undersized stature, but he breaks arm tackles on his lower body. The All-AAC selection is a productive pass catcher who is too fast for linebackers to cover. Unfortunately, Mitchell’s injury history is concerning for a small player. He has limited vision and upside as a between-the-tackles runner. Mitchell defaults to bouncing runs outside and doesn’t offer much in goal line or short-yardage situations. He falls just short of making the sudden, sharp cuts needed to qualify as twitchy. Defenders occasionally track Mitchell down from behind on long runs. He ran a limited route tree at East Carolina and bobbled or dropped plenty of passes. Mitchell’s play strength makes him not viable as a blocker.

Overall, Mitchell is an undersized running back, but his special teams versatility, explosiveness, and speed make him an attractive fit for a rotational role. The East Carolina product could fall down draft boards this year because of the large number of undersized backs, but he deserves to at least go on the middle of Day 3.

Role & Scheme Fit: Receiving back and return man in an outside zone scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-15-23