Editor’s Note; This article was previously published on February 28th on our sister NFL site as part of their ongoing draft profile series.
Quinyon Mitchell NFL Draft Overview
Weight: 195 pounds
Position: Corner
School: Toledo
2024 NFL Draft: Quinyon Mitchell Scouting Report
A finalist for the 2023 Bednarik Award, the star of the Toledo Rockets’ defense over the last two seasons was Quinyon Mitchell. The sticky corner was a massive part of Toledo’s back-to-back MAC West titles and is looking to become the highest-drafted Toledo alumnus since Dan Williams was drafted 11th overall in 1993.
As a true freshman in 2020, Mitchell appeared in all six games for the Rockets and tallied seven tackles. In his sophomore year, he started all 13 games and was a solid piece of a top-30 defense in the nation, amassing 34 tackles, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble.
Mitchell broke out in 2022. As a junior, he became the first player since 2000 to record four interceptions and two pick-sixes in a single game against Northern Illinois. With 19 pass breakups, Mitchell broke the program record and finished second in the FBS. In total, he recorded 41 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and five interceptions on the year. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors as well as second-team and third-team All-American honors from various outlets.
For 2023, Mitchell added another 41 tackles, two tackles for loss, 18 pass breakups, and an interception. In the win over Bowling Green, Mitchell broke the Toledo record for career pass breakups.
He earned first-team All-MAC honors yet again and was named a first-team All-American by The Athletic and a second-team All-American by the AFCA, Associated Press, and Sporting News. He was the first Toledo player to receive All-American honors from all five major All-America teams in a career (Walter Camp honored him in 2022).
Strengths
- Athletic freak
- Can shine in both man and zone coverages
- Able to diagnose route concepts in zone incredibly well
- A physical and willing tackler
- Incredible quickness and acceleration
- Impressive ball skills
- Positional versatility; can play anywhere and do anything
Weaknesses
- Did not face many NFL-worthy receivers
- Struggles with open-field tackling of running backs
- Turns his hips too soon, giving up the hitch or inside leverage
NFL Comparison: DaRon Bland
Projection: top 20
Best Fit: Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars
Bottom Line on Quinyon Mitchell
Coming from the MAC, there will be concerns about Mitchell against top talents. He only really played against one team with NFL receivers and that was Ohio State in 2022. In that game, he played well and took away options but he was held off of the stat sheet altogether.
As a whole, Mitchell is an athletic freak who will turn heads when he actually tests at the Scouting Combine and, eventually, his Pro Day. He has the potential to run a 4.3 40 and has all of the tools NFL coaches look for in a bona fide corner. He’s incredibly quick and can accelerate off a break and close the gap. As evidenced by his interceptions and pass breakups, he has great ball skills that should translate.
At the Senior Bowl, Mitchell made a name for himself with solid play against eventual NFL receivers. There was a feeling that he was bound for Philadelphia but, as Daniel Jeremiah said, the Eagles believe he will be long gone by then.
The only real concerns are his competition level, which he dispelled at the Senior Bowl, and open-field tackling. He is not the biggest player out there but he’s a willing tackler, to say the least. If Mitchell had played at a Power 5 school, he would be solidly in the conversation at CB1. As it is, an NFL team is going to love his tape and measurables and snag an incredibly athletic and sticky corner in the mid-to-late first round.
