Max Mitchell NFL Draft Overview
Position: Right Tackle
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 307 pounds
School: Louisiana-Lafayette
Max Mitchell 2022 NFL Draft Profile
Max Mitchell enters the NFL Draft after four years at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Louisiana native came to the Ragin’ Cajuns as a two-star recruit. ULL was the only FBS offer he received.
Mitchell made an immediate impact as a freshman, appearing in all 14 of the team’s games. He replaced current Miami Dolphin Robert Hunt as the starting right tackle as a sophomore after Hunt went down with an injury. He would maintain the position as a junior and senior but also showed the ability to flip over to the left side when called upon. As a junior, he was named to the Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference.
As a senior, he received first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. PFF rated him their number one tackle in the country, crediting him with only 13 pressures on the season. The Ragin’ Cajun offensive line appeared on the Joe Wood Award watchlist, annually awarded to the nation’s top offensive line, in both Mitchell’s senior and junior years. He finished his career with 37 total starts at tackle, both right and left. Mitchell shows promise as a future starter at tackle but is not a fully-refined prospect.
Strengths
- Engages well
- Tenacious; he never quits on a play
- Can play left or right tackle
- Uses hands well, good length
- Moves well; plays more athletic on tape
Weaknesses
- Poor athletic testing
- Loses balance
- Has a tendency to lunge and often miss
- Inconsistent with strength
- Footwork puts him in a bad spot at times
Teams with a need at the position: Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants
NFL Comparison: Riley Reiff
Projection: Second or third round
Bottom Line on Max Mitchell
On tape, Max Mitchell shows tenacity and grit. He follows through and finishes blocks. He moves well on pulls and is exactly who you want as a lead blocker downfield on run plays.
However, his strength is inconsistent at times. He will get out-leveraged against some opponents and he has a tendency to lunge and lose balance. He can get overpowered as well. But he is able to get power into his punches with his long arms and recover in a lot of situations. He has a no-quit attitude, even when he is initially beaten off the snap.
His pass protection still needs work; once he engages a rusher he usually wins but falls prey at times to poor footwork. He also has to work on processing faster on stunts and blitzes. More than once he completely missed a rusher that should have been his pickup.
The combine did not do him any favors. His speed and agility composites were poor, and it is extra concerning as he tested at a weight of 307 pounds; on the low end for an NFL tackle. He will need to bulk up, which could further limit his agility and speed. He marginally improved on his 40-yard dash at the ULL Pro Day, going from a 5.32 at the combine to 5.22. But he then put up a somewhat lackluster 21 reps on the bench press.
On a more positive note, he appears more athletic on the field than these numbers would indicate, but they do show his limitations.
Overall Mitchell is a bit of a project. While he could start at right tackle on day one, expect some growing pains as he adjusts to the speed and size of NFL defensive linemen. But he has the upside to be a solid starter there, and perhaps even at left. A situation that would allow him to ease in as a backup swing tackle with spot starts would be ideal.
Main Photo
