WATCH: James Mitchell addresses recovery, versatility and reveals why he chose VT as he prepares for NFL Draft
Virginia Tech tight end James Mitchell was projected to be drafted in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft by several top experts and scouts but opted to stay in Blacksburg another season. But the decision proved to be a costly one.
On Monday, the under-the-radar tight end prospect joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and shared a variety of subjects from updating his recovery from last year’s season-ending injury, to why he chose VT over bigger programs. Mitchell even provided a glimpse into the conversations he’s had with teams and scouts as the NFL Draft inches closer.
With everything primed for the former four-star prospect to put his stamp on one final breakout collegiate season with the Hokies before making football his career, Mitchell suffered a devastating season-ending ACL injury in the second game of the 2021 campaign against Middle Tennessee.
“Everything with my knee is going really well, I’m about six and a half months post-surgery, I’m running full speed, so I’m starting to do a lot of cutting, started running some routes,” Mitchell said.
“The biggest thing is just getting my cleats back on and getting out to do physical activities,” The Virginia Tech tight end added. “That was the hardest part, just missing out on the things you get to do on the field. The progress is going really well, I feel great about where I’m at right now.”
Due to the injury that Mitchell is still healing from, his draft stock has fallen. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter currently pegs the Virginia Tech offensive weapon has the 12th best available tight end in the 2022 NFL Draft class.
“I see a solid backup with good YAC talent who might end up in a starting role at some point,” a scout for an AFC team told Reuter.
Ahead of the 2021 season, the Big Stone Gap, Va. native was named to the 2021 All-ACC Preseason Team and landed on the watch list for the Mackey Award, given to the top tight end in college football.
But adversity hit, and Mitchell only played one full game in 2021. While he feels close to fully healthy again, the Hokies’ standout shared insight into his preparation for the NFL Draft, which is much different than he had planned before the injury occurred.
“As far as getting ready for the NFL Draft, it’s been a lot of zooms,” Mitchell added. “One of the things I’ve been doing is just watching a lot of my film. Just seeing where I can improve. Of course, it’s 2020 film, but that’s okay. And then just studying NFL, studying coverages, fronts and making sure I’m familiar with all of that stuff.”
RELATED: TODD MCSHAY RANKS JAMES MITCHELL IN TOP-10 TIGHT ENDS AVAILABLE FOR NFL DRAFT
NFL Network’s Peter Schrager pivoted the segment to Mitchell’s previous accomplishments before last season’s injury, which included earning all-state honors in all four years of high school football.
Schrager asked the under-the-radar tight-end prospect why he chose to stay close to home and choose Virginia Tech even though the four-star talent had offers from major programs like Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss and others.
“I was blessed and fortunate enough to have a variety of options and plenty of places to go,” Mitchell responded.
“My final three were Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia. As far as Virginia Tech, it just felt like home for me. I grew up in a small town, Big Stone Gap, it’s kind of the same kind of environment. Just the whole town, the whole community gathers around football and I found that same thing at Virginia Tech. Just the community, the support, the staff. Everybody involved with the program was a blessing for me and I’m definitely glad I chose Virginia Tech and would choose it again 10 out of 10 times.”
Mitchell discusses versatility at Virginia Tech, shares NFL questions about running the ball
Though Mitchell has the prototypical body type of the ideal NFL tight end at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, the Hokies’ prospect has caught the eyes of scouts for his versatility — which will only boost his draft stock in a league where offenses are using innovative packages and running the ball with multiple positions.
Former NFL running back and NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson asked the Virginia Tech star about his versatility and how he ended up with five rushing touchdowns in two college seasons,
“Well so, in the spring we kind of installed that,” Mitchell said.
“My offensive coordinator – I guess he watched my high school film because my senior year I played quarterback and we pretty much ran wildcat. But yeah, that was our offensive coordinator, I took advantage of it in the spring and they liked it, so we kept it running in the fall. “
The Virginia Tech tight end said more than one NFL team has asked him if he’s comfortable as a runner and alluded to his versatility translating to an expanded role at the next level.
“I’ve actually had a few teams pull up clips of me running the ball and ask if they thought I could do it and of course I said yes. I love having the ball in my hands,” Mitchell added.
Finally, the GMF crew closed by asking the NFL Draft tight end prospect why one of the 32 teams should call his name next weekend.
“Yeah, I think teams should draft me because — kind of like you guys have mentioned — I pride myself on being a very versatile player,” the VT offensive weapon said.
“I can play all over the field and did that at Virginia Tech and was going to show that even more this year but the injury took that away. You’re going to get a great teammate, definitely will do anything to help the team win. I can play everything on special teams… I’ve done it all four years in college.
I feel like I’m a player that is going to elevate your team, not only on the field but off the field as well. I pride myself on treating everybody the right way and the same way. I really feel like I can help an organization off the field as much as I can on the field.”
Mitchell’s impressive response garnered a standing ovation and clap from most of the GMF crew. Now, he will wait until next weekend to see if and when his name is called.