With a conference title and two All-MAC selections under his belt, Toledo junior Quinyon Mitchell has been one of the G5's best defensive backs each of the last two seasons. After putting a cap on his college career, Mitchell has a spot on Mel Kiper's big board as the #9 cornerback . He is likely to be Toledo's tenth player drafted in the last six seasons.
Here are the important things to known about the Williston, Florida product as he prepares for professional opportunities.
Background
Measurements: 6' 0", 196 lbs
In high school, Mitchell was a two-way player, taking snaps at running back on offense. That comes through in his physical style of play. He was a three-star prospect (per 247Sports) coming out of Williston High School.
Mitchell saw some action in the shortened 2020 season at Toledo, his first with the program. In 2021, his game started to take off. He had a sack, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in a three-point loss to a Notre Dame team ranked #8 at the time.
In 2022, Mitchell had his most notable college season in coverage, defending 19 passes with 5 interceptions. That included a game where he picked off four passes against Northern Illinois, two of which he returned for touchdowns. In 2023, receivers Mitchell covered received far fewer targets, but he still defended 18 passes with one interception.
Mitchell finished his college career with 124 total tackles.
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The Strengths
On tape, fans can see that Mitchell's instincts as a cornerback are fantastic. Outside the numbers, he has this ability to give the illusion that his man is open, but really he's setting himself up to jump the route. It worked impressively well against the majority of offenses Toledo played the last few years.
When opposing offenses get in the red zone, his play style becomes much more physical, challenging opposing receivers for jump balls - noticeably more so when they try to push the ball into the corners of the end zone. His size and arm length help in that regard, as well. That physicality is far from a bad thing, but it might be something that pro officials will pay closer attention to than what Mitchell saw in college.
What's Next
Mitchell has accepted an invite to this year's Reese's Senior Bowl, set to be played on Saturday, February 3. After that, he's a very likely day two pick in April's NFL Draft. The second round feels right, anything lower than the third round would be extremely surprising.
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