Quinyon Mitchell, CB Toledo: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Mitchell was a three-star athlete recruit from Williston Middle High School in Williston, Fla. in the class of 2020
Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell earned All-American honors in 2022 after a dominant season. Mitchell has the arm length, ball skills, instincts, and size to compete for a top 100 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Don’t be shocked if he’s a riser during the upcoming season.
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Quinyon Mitchell, CB Toledo: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior outside cornerback from Williston, Fla.
Background: Mitchell was a three-star athlete recruit from Williston Middle High School in Williston, Fla. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 1,747 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,457 for On3.com. Mitchell was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He lettered three times in high school and finished his career with 86 tackles, 19 passes defensed, and eight interceptions. As a senior, Mitchell ran for 983 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 9.5 yards per carry. He also played on the varsity basketball team.
Injuries & Off-Field: N/A
Awards: 2022 First Team All-MAC, 2022 Third Team All-American (AP), 2022 Second Team All-American (PFF)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, just three penalties committed in 2021 and 2022 each, elite ball production in 2022, broad shoulders, appears to have NFL-caliber arm length, imposing size and build, straight line speed is solid but not elite, comfortable carrying receivers vertically, stayed on top of Julian Fleming from press-bail coverage through a vertical route, reads the quarterback’s eyes to jump routes, quick to close on short routes, closing speed, drives from off-man position to break up short passes, physical at the catch point to break up passes or establish leverage, knows how to play around receivers without fouling, good awareness and positioning in zone to eliminate multiple routes, instincts for jumping routes pops, good ball skills to high point the ball and make catches outside his frame
Cons: Northern Illinois (2022) accounts for a lot of his production, competition level, not sudden or twitchy, limited agility and twitch to turn on a dime, some hip tightness that prevents consecutive flips, lacks agility to mirror nimble receivers at the stem, played off-man vs. Ohio State with a massive cushion, unable to pinch WR’s routes vs. Ohio State, uncomfortable working in a low backpedal, opens hips too early at times, hand placement is high in press, some dropped potential interceptions, takes steep angles to the ball, steep angles lead to missed tackles, could be more eager to come downhill, must improve block defeat vs. wide receivers
Overview: Mitchell has special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He only committed three penalties in 2021 and 2022 each and posted elite ball production in 2022. Critics will point out that four of his five interceptions and both of his defensive touchdowns came against Northern Illinois, but he was a consistent playmaker and lockdown option for the Rockets. Mitchell has what appears to be NFL-caliber arms attached to broad shoulders. His size and build make him an imposing opponent for MAC receivers. Mitchell has solid straight line speed but isn’t a burner. His 40-time likely won’t accurately reflect his ability to carry receivers vertically. He wasn’t threatened on vertical routes often in 2022 and had no problem staying on top of Ohio State’s Julian Fleming from press-bail coverage. Mitchell reads the quarterback’s eyes to jump routes and flashes elite closing speed for a defender his size. He instinctively closes on short routes to undercut them for interceptions or pass breakups. Mitchell is physical at the catch point to break up passes or establish leverage, and he knows how to play around receivers without fouling. The All-American is at his best when operating off the line in zone coverage. This means he can watch the play unfold in front of him and easily key on the quarterback’s eyes. Mitchell shows good awareness and positioning in zone to eliminate multiple routes. He has the ball skills to high point throws and make catches outside his frame, but he bobbled or dropped a few potential interceptions in 2022. Mitchell isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete. He has limited agility to turn on a dime or mirror receivers at the top of the route’s stem. The senior combats some hip tightness that prevents consecutive hip flips. He benefits from facing lesser competition. During the game against Ohio State, Mitchell gave the team’s top receivers a significant cushion and clearly wasn’t comfortable playing close to them before or during the route. He allowed too much space, which led to easy receptions. Mitchell is uncomfortable working in a low backpedal and opens his hips too early at times. He doesn’t press often, but his hand placement is high when he does. Mitchell must improve his ability to defeat blocks and show more hunger in run defense. He takes steep angles to the ball, which leads to missed tackles.
Overall, Mitchell will face questions about his agility, speed, and quality of competition, but his physical tools, ball skills, and upside as a zone corner suggest he won’t last long on the draft’s third day. Mitchell’s performance against Ohio State will be the key focus of his 2022 tape, and Illinois is the only Power Five program he faces in 2023.
Role & Scheme Fit: Field corner in a zone dominant scheme
Round Projection: Fourth Round
Size: 6'0", 196 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 07-27-23