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Lance Mitchell (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter purplehaze67
- Start date
Barry Jive and The Uptown Five
Footballguy
Mitchell is an enigma right now. Not sure why he's in Denny Green's doghouse. Could be the learning curve, slow to regain his top form from a knee injury 2 years ago, or something completely different. The one thing that's for certain, players who are in Green's doghouse often go straight from the kennel to the street.As for comparing those two guys with their college performances as the body of work, I would disagree with the run-stuffer moniker for Mitchell. He was every bit as good as Lehman pre-knee injury. A definitive example of a 3-down MLB. He spent 2004 working his way back from the '03 knee injury and as he regains the confidence in his knee & masters his assignments, he'll be a quality every down LB.Davis on the other hand, does seem to fit the "run-stuffer" label. I've read draft profiles on Rod which described him as a system LB. Performs well in the system (like S.Miss) but his lack of athletic ability will be exposed when taken out of his element. Maybe a suitable comaprison might be Trotter? Excellent 1st & 2nd down LB?my 
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from the prospect profile on NFL.com:Mitchell is a rarity for a middle linebacker, as he has the strength of a down lineman and the quickness of a strong safety. He is much faster on the field than his timed speed indicates. Few linebackers show the ability to cover backs and tight ends with the speed and technique Mitchell shows. He gets good depth in his pass drops and takes proper angles to the ball. Mitchell also is very adept at reading the quarterback and locating the receivers. He used to react more to the receiver than the ball, but showed marked improvement keeping sight of the ball in flight in 2004.My comment:everything and i mean EVERYTHING i saw of mitchell pre-knee injury reeked of 3 down "QB of the defense" MLB. He was just as dynamic a playmaker as Derrick johnson at the same stage of their careers, and much more hardnosed.
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Bob Magaw
Footballguy
hey haze...i haven't seen mitchell play a lot, but before his knee injury he was one of the top MLB/ILB prospects in the country.he was reportedly slowed after coming back next season at oklahoma (remembering that it typically takes two years to get close to all the way back), but some scouts who were familiar with his body of work stated that he was already regaining some of his burst back by the end of 2004.he dropped to round 5, and reportedly isn't in mix for MLB at moment, even with injuries to hayes & darling. norton & bloom are real high on him, but maybe he is a year or two away?i didn't like how green churned the LBs last season (except for dansby).if mitchell regains his speed and agility, he was definitely a great athlete. as a prep, he was one of the most productive RBs in the state of CA & put up some mind boggling numbers... though not sure about prep level of competion... a guy like DJ williams who excelled at high level program like concord-la salle & rode that to national recognition & usa today defensive player of the year is certainly more impressive...i don't think he was heavily recruited, and possibly went JUCO route b4 bursting on to scene at oklahoma.can't speak to his coverage ability... not sure if he is destined to be two down LB... obviously dansby should be out there on third down... he was former top 30 nationally recruited WR, & briefly at auburn a safety b4 blowing up to LB-size.there is a big difference between athleticism & having recognition & ball skills to be effective in coverage... has to do maybe less with strength & speed than the muskle between the ears. 
Barry Jive and The Uptown Five
Footballguy
Anyone NOT in the Gamebreakers league want to chime in here? 
Weiner Dog
Footballguy
I think we would all agree that two "Mitchell's" exit in this forum...
1. Pre-ACL Mitchell (ie. undisputed 1st-round talent)
2. Post-ACL Mitchell (ie. drafted in the 5th-round)
Even though Mitchell was solid (not to be confused with spectacular) the second half of last season, he still has a loooooong way to go to be a complete LB again. He's undoubtedly lost a step from his pre-ACL days and will have a difficult time covering 4.5 RB's and 4.7 TE's with his current 4.9 speed. This could, however, change as Mitchell fully recovers.
I may be in the minority here, but I'm a true believer in NFL scouting (feel free to insert Ryan Leaf here). I highly doubt scouts/teams forgot about Mitchell in the draft. He "fell" to the 5th-round and 20 LB's were drafted before Mitchell for a reason. On the flip side, maybe 31 other scouting departments (obviously excluding the Cards) were wrong with Mitchell...five rounds in a row.
Only time will tell.
OK...back to the discussion. Pass-coverage ability. Throw a dart at the scouting reports. I've read many reports stating pass-coverage as a liability of Mitchell's. Not to whizz on NFL.com, but they (unlike most scouting resources) rarely offer "negatives" in their anaylsis. Almost every player sounds like a future All-Pro. Here are some scouting pieces questioning Mitchell's coverage ability:
link:
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/Profiles/lanc...hellprofile.htm
Looking like he would be a future superstar following the 2002 season, Lance Mitchell suffered a serious knee injury (ACL) early in the 2003 season that has slowed his progress. Mitchell started his college career at the City College of San Francisco prior to transferring to Oklahoma prior to the 2002 season. Mitchell totaled 124 tackles during 2002, but has been unable to regain the same form since suffering the knee injury in 2003. So far as a senior, Mitchell has recorded 69 tackles through 10 games. Mitchell is a tough, physical linebacker that provides a presence in the middle. He does a good job of getting off blocks and can make plays sideline-to-sideline. On the downside, Mitchell is not great when functioning in pass coverage and his instincts appear to be off at times. If his knee checks out medically, Mitchell has a solid chance of being a day one pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
link:
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/?c=nytimes&pa...FT-mitchell.htm
Named an All-Big 12 member in 2004, after ranking second on Oklahoma in tackles with 78 stops...Mitchell also posted 10 TFLs and four quarterback hurries last year...Played in only three games as a junior, suffering a season-ending ACL injury early on against Fresno State (game three)...Second Team All-Big 12 member and the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year recipient in 2002 after leading the Sooners with 124 tackles, 87 of which were solo stops...He also had a team-high 19 TFLs in 2002 and three sacks...Played his first season at junior college and transferred to Norman in December of 2001...Superb size and speed, displaying an aggressive approach to the middle linebacker position...Outstanding hitting ability and closing speed, but injuries are still a major issue...Looked less explosive as a senior following his torn ACL and continues to struggle in pass coverage.
link:
http://archive.sportingnews.com/experts/da...i/20050328.html
5. Lance Mitchell, Oklahoma, 6-2/245. Is a big guy with decent athleticism and instincts. Reads plays well. Is effective between the tackles. Doesn't take on blockers a lot, but uses hands well to shed blocks. Plays strong, but is an average tackler. Goes all out. Lacks elite speed. Could struggle on nickel downs.
1. Pre-ACL Mitchell (ie. undisputed 1st-round talent)
2. Post-ACL Mitchell (ie. drafted in the 5th-round)
Even though Mitchell was solid (not to be confused with spectacular) the second half of last season, he still has a loooooong way to go to be a complete LB again. He's undoubtedly lost a step from his pre-ACL days and will have a difficult time covering 4.5 RB's and 4.7 TE's with his current 4.9 speed. This could, however, change as Mitchell fully recovers.
I may be in the minority here, but I'm a true believer in NFL scouting (feel free to insert Ryan Leaf here). I highly doubt scouts/teams forgot about Mitchell in the draft. He "fell" to the 5th-round and 20 LB's were drafted before Mitchell for a reason. On the flip side, maybe 31 other scouting departments (obviously excluding the Cards) were wrong with Mitchell...five rounds in a row.
Only time will tell.OK...back to the discussion. Pass-coverage ability. Throw a dart at the scouting reports. I've read many reports stating pass-coverage as a liability of Mitchell's. Not to whizz on NFL.com, but they (unlike most scouting resources) rarely offer "negatives" in their anaylsis. Almost every player sounds like a future All-Pro. Here are some scouting pieces questioning Mitchell's coverage ability:
link:
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/Profiles/lanc...hellprofile.htm
Looking like he would be a future superstar following the 2002 season, Lance Mitchell suffered a serious knee injury (ACL) early in the 2003 season that has slowed his progress. Mitchell started his college career at the City College of San Francisco prior to transferring to Oklahoma prior to the 2002 season. Mitchell totaled 124 tackles during 2002, but has been unable to regain the same form since suffering the knee injury in 2003. So far as a senior, Mitchell has recorded 69 tackles through 10 games. Mitchell is a tough, physical linebacker that provides a presence in the middle. He does a good job of getting off blocks and can make plays sideline-to-sideline. On the downside, Mitchell is not great when functioning in pass coverage and his instincts appear to be off at times. If his knee checks out medically, Mitchell has a solid chance of being a day one pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
link:
http://www.sportsnetwork.com/?c=nytimes&pa...FT-mitchell.htm
Named an All-Big 12 member in 2004, after ranking second on Oklahoma in tackles with 78 stops...Mitchell also posted 10 TFLs and four quarterback hurries last year...Played in only three games as a junior, suffering a season-ending ACL injury early on against Fresno State (game three)...Second Team All-Big 12 member and the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year recipient in 2002 after leading the Sooners with 124 tackles, 87 of which were solo stops...He also had a team-high 19 TFLs in 2002 and three sacks...Played his first season at junior college and transferred to Norman in December of 2001...Superb size and speed, displaying an aggressive approach to the middle linebacker position...Outstanding hitting ability and closing speed, but injuries are still a major issue...Looked less explosive as a senior following his torn ACL and continues to struggle in pass coverage.
link:
http://archive.sportingnews.com/experts/da...i/20050328.html
5. Lance Mitchell, Oklahoma, 6-2/245. Is a big guy with decent athleticism and instincts. Reads plays well. Is effective between the tackles. Doesn't take on blockers a lot, but uses hands well to shed blocks. Plays strong, but is an average tackler. Goes all out. Lacks elite speed. Could struggle on nickel downs.
I think this is an excellent way to sum up the picture on mitchell. I am a Mitchell believer and think the NFL scouts screwed up on this one because what i saw of mitchell pre-injury just can not be taught, it was rare natural talent, both physical and mental. Now, you might think that ACL surgery can keep someone from returning to their true potential, but there's too many examples at RB of guys coming back to 100% of their old self to say that mitchell can't be as good as he was before. For the NFL, i understand why teams were less open to taking the risk on mitchell's knee because there are solid "infrastructure" players - linemen, defensive backs - that you can never have enough of available in the 3rd and 4th, after the special talents are gone, but from the fantasy perspective you have to factor in that 3 down MLBs are the premium in IDP leagues, and the MLB position in arizona is really wide open long term. its hard to see mitchell not at least getting a shot at capturing it. if he does get back to 100% physically, you probably have a top 15 LB down the line.
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