Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo (Junior)

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Strengths :

  • Explosive athlete
  • Zone coverage Skills
  • Click and close
  • Ball Hawk
  • IQ
  • Contribution against the run 
  • Versatility in alignments

Weaknesses :

  • Backpedal
  • Hip fluidity and transitions 
  • Adversity in CFB

TTProfil

 

Quinyon Mitchell has a very intriguing physique for his position. He has an average height but is sturdy for his position. His relatively high weight doesn't affect his acceleration and speed capabilities at all; in fact, he demonstrates significant explosiveness in short areas. He appears to be more fluid than fast when playing because there are technical deficiencies that hinder his athletic qualities. Indeed, technically, Mitchell is not the best in his class. His backpedal is too high, his footwork is inconsistent, and it doesn't allow him to have different tempos and quality kick-slides in man coverage. His hips are not always the most fluid because he tends to keep his center of gravity too high, and once in man coverage, especially in press situations, he often tends to open his hips too quickly.

There aren't many instances of Quinyon Mitchell in press coverage. From what I've observed, there is a lot of technical work to be done in his press technique. He tends to stand up too quickly instead of keeping his feet anchored to the ground with a low center of gravity to develop power on the initial punch and then activate his feet.
Senior Bowl Update: Mitchell showed promising abilities to handle press coverage against certain types of receivers, but I still have doubts about his physical matchups against larger profiles in the NFL. Against lighter profiles, he should be able to fare quite well.
In off-man coverage, especially in the boundary, he demonstrates a lot of authority and discipline. Staying in a less extended area of the field to defend allows him to maximize his click-and-close abilities. (It's the defender ability to read the play and react) and as a playmaker against the pass. 

Mitchell's strength lies in zone coverage. His explosiveness over short distances, coupled with good closing speed (the speed at which the defender moves from point A to point B to reduce the distance between them and the ball carrier), allows him to cut off passing lanes with ease. In zone coverage, he excels when opposing receivers run curl or out routes. On interior routes, he is good, but occasionally his hips fail him, causing him to lose time in his transitions or changes of direction.

He has a true instinct, which could more colloquially be called "ball-hawk." His ball tracking is elite when facing the play and good when back to it. He has excellent eye-foot-hand coordination coupled with very good balance, making him very dangerous in the air. He recognizes the routes of opposing receivers very well and has a good understanding of them. The only thing I reproach him for is that he tends to be content with just defending the ball and doesn't seek to intercept it more consistently.  He has a somewhat nonchalant nature on the field, which can explain this kind of shortcoming and sometimes when he doesn't finish his plays, such as on pursuits to the opposite side where he travels 40 yards to catch up to the receiver or running back but doesn't attempt to tackle him or strip the ball.

Against the run, Mitchell has been very productive. He is solid at the point of contact and plays with authority. He knows how to shed blocks, and he has good tackling technique. In this area as well, he demonstrates good reads.  

We also need to discuss the adversity he has faced. In 2022, he played against NFL-caliber receivers like those from Ohio State, as well as teams like Liberty and Kent State. However, in 2023, apart from Illinois, there wasn't much. So, it's only natural to question the difficulty of transitioning to the NFL.

Considering his strengths and especially his technical deficiencies, it might be preferable for Quinyon Mitchell not to be a CB1 or even CB2 on Day 1 in the NFL and for him to have time to acclimate to the high level. It would also be important for him to land in a defense that emphasizes zone coverage and minimal press to maximize his click-and-close abilities and ball-hawking skills. Including him in underneath coverages could also be very interesting to develop his contribution against the run. One could imagine Mitchell in the slot and in the boundary, as well as in alignments as a safety in a two-high scheme.
I value his talent as a 2nd rounder.

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