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Quinyon Mitchell Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell
Strengths:
- Excellent skill set
- Ideal height, weight, speed
- Tremendous ball skills
- Interception threat
- Soft hands
- Good return skills
- Superb at breaking up passes
- Times hand slaps well
- Man-to-man cover corner
- Can run the route to prevent separation
- Loose hips to turn and run
- Can play off-man coverage
- Adept at timing contact
- Very athletic
- Flexility to play any scheme, technique
- Has twitchy athleticism
- Recoverability
- Burst to close space
- Drives hard on routes, passes
- Will get physical
- Quality run defender
- Willing to tackle
- Contributes to run defense
Weaknesses:
- Raw
- Could use grooming on technique
- Big jump in competition
- Season-ending shoulder injury in 2021
Prospect Summary:
Over the past two seasons, Mitchell was one of the most prolific cornerbacks in college football in terms of ball production. He got started in 2021, recording 34 tackles, eight breakups, a sack and forced fumble. Mitchell then broke out in 2022 with a huge year of five interceptions, 19 passes broken up and 42 tackles. In 2023, he totaled 18 passes defended, an interception and 41 tackles.
Mitchell is a natural cover corner with an excellent skill set. He clearly has everything a team wants in terms of height, weight, speed, strength, quick feet, and agility. Mitchell is very fluid and does a nice job of running the route with receivers to prevent them from gaining separation. Mitchell keeps wideouts from coming open and is quick to recover if they get a step. For a big cornerback, Mitchell has very nice hips to turn and run downfield with speed receivers. He also shows enough twitchy athleticism to break on the ball and drive down hard on wide receivers.
On top of his coverage ability, Mitchell possesses outstanding ball skills. He has soft hands to pick off passes and is dangerous on returns. Mitchell tracks the ball well and attacks passes like a receiver. On top of being an interception threat, he is very skilled at slapping passes away and preventing completions. Mitchell times his slaps well to avoid penalties, yet also separate the ball from receivers. Mitchell uses his height, length and strength very effectively to break up passes.
Entering the NFL, Mitchell is raw and needs some development. Considering he is making a huge jump in competition, that is not surprising or unexpected. Mitchel could use polish in his coverage technique to avoid extra steps and play with more NFL fundamentals.
Mitchell is a willing run defender who will contribute to the ground defense and tackle. He fires to the ball and shows nice tackling technique for a cornerback.
Team sources say they think Mitchell could go as high as the back half of the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Prospect Comparison:
James Bradberry. Mitchell is reminiscent Bradberry, Both are big, quick, smooth athletes who can really cover. Bradberry had a lot of upside coming out Samford in 2016, and Mitchell does as well coming out of Toledo. They also are both smaller-school products who will need transition time given the huge jump in competition.
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