Ravens Speedster Embracing Special Teams Opportunity

With five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry slated to receive the bulk of the carries in the Baltimore Ravens backfield and fellow veteran Justice Hill entrenched as their primary pass-catching and third-down option at the position, there won't be an abundance of touches on offense left for third-year pro Keaton Mitchell in the 2025 season.

However, that doesn't mean the former undrafted gem can't still have a profound impact and be a threat to go the distance anytime he touches the ball. Mitchell is slated to be the Ravens' primary kick returner for the upcoming season, and he is not only willing to fill the role but is also enthusiastic about it and the potential impact he can have.

"I'm definitely doing that, especially since if it's a touchback, it'll go to the 35 [-yard line], so I'm pretty sure teams will put it in play, and I want to be the one to return to kickoff returns," Mitchell said.

Like many young athletes who grew up watching college and NFL football in the 2000s and early 2010s, Mitchell admired the play of Hall of Fame return specialist Devin Hester, who is widely renowned as the best return specialist of all time, ranked first or top five in all major kick and punt return stats.

Hester briefly played for the Ravens in the final year of his career in 2016, but in his heyday, he was a lethal weapon on special teams with his electric playmaking ability. It made him a threat to flip the field or take it the distance for a score on any given return, which earned him the nickname 'Anytime' and made opposing teams afraid to kick the ball anywhere remotely in his direction.

Mitchell wants to present that kind of threat and eventually become a "Don't-kick-it-at-type of guy" like Hester. He got his first action as a kick returner last season when he returned from the major knee injury that cut his promising rookie season short.

In the regular season, he racked up 156 kick return yards on five opportunities with an average of 31.2 yards and a long of 47 yards. Against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, he posted 134 return yards on five opportunities with an average of 26.8 and a long of 32 yards.