Getty James Mitchell makes a catch in 2022 for Detroit on Thanksgiving.
As focus shifts toward what the Detroit Lions will do in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft, some themes are beginning to rise to the forefront for analysts.
Amongst these themes? The team could look at drafting a tight end, perhaps fairly early. While that could certainly be the case, there is another convincing reason already on the roster that it might not end up happening.
His name is James Mitchell, and he was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2022 NFL draft last offseason by Detroit.
Last season, Mitchell was in largely the same boat as first-round pick Jameson Williams. Recovering from ACL surgery, both players needed time to rehab in addition to just adjusting to the NFL in their rookie season. Being his injury occurred earlier than Williams’ did, Mitchell had a chance to get back on the field earlier and make his presence better felt on the field.
In spite of that, it took him some time to get up to speed. Mitchell likely didn’t look the same as he had hoped even as he was making his comeback midseason for the team. Still, he was able to show some of the flashes that made him such an intriguing pick last year.
Coming out in the 2022 draft, many saw Mitchell as a sneaky good value as a middle-round selection due to his ability to stretch the field and be a weapon. That was something he showed at Virginia Tech, and something scouts understood ahead of last year’s draft.
“Mitchell has the foot agility and athleticism to separate on a regular basis if he can tighten up his route running and play closer to his top speed. He’s capable of attacking the seams and is talented with the ball in his hands when he has run-after-catch opportunities,” Mitchell’s NFL.com profile from last season reads.
If the Lions don’t end up prioritizing a top tight end such as Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer or Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, it could be with good reason. The team might already know they have a player capable of carrying the load for the future in terms of catching plenty of passes and making impact plays.
James Mitchell Emerged With Late-Season Performances
The Lions could have some confidence in Mitchell relative to how he played when given a chance to get things going late in the 2022 season, and his best game came against Green Bay on November 6.
With the Lions needing a score later in the game to steal back some momentum, Mitchell stepped up in a big way with a red zone snag, making the route and the play look very easy, indeed.
Governor of the end zone!
@j_mitch82
#GBvsDET | 📺 FOX
Perhaps better than that, though, Mitchell came up with another clutch catch late on a third down for Detroit in the game as well to move the chains on a drive that wasted some clock and helped salt away the eventual 15-9 win. At the end of the day, he would finish with two receptions for eight yards in the game, but the catches each proved very significant for Detroit.
As a whole, Mitchell would go on to finish his 2022 season with 11 targets and 11 receptions, putting up 113 yards and one touchdown. His longest reception was 22 yards, and it’s notable that he did not drop a pass in which he was targeted during the year.
Those performances and numbers could show that all Mitchell really needs to excel is a bigger opportunity this coming season.
James Mitchell Could Complement Lions’ Depth Well
Despite what Mitchell has done, there’s a tendency for many both in the Detroit fanbase as well as the scouting community to forget that he exists on the roster.
In addition to Mitchell, the Lions have Brock Wright, who came up with a game-winning touchdown vs. New York in 2022 and collected 216 yards and four touchdowns on 18 catches last year. They also have Shane Zylstra still on the roster, who has proven he can fit what the team needs him to do.
Having a young player like Mitchell to develop along with Wright may theoretically give the Lions enough buffer that they don’t need to prioritize the tight end position early in the draft. That’s especially true given Mitchell could be the better pass catcher, while Wright has been seen as a willing blocker in the trenches.
When the Lions have gotten in trouble lately, it’s been due to reaching for tight end talent in the first-round. In 2014, the team famously gambled on Eric Ebron with pick 10, ignoring a defender like Aaron Donald who could have been foundational. In 2019, T.J. Hockenson was the pick for Detroit in the eighth-overall slot. Productive defenders like Ed Oliver, Brian Burns and Jeffrey Simmons went within the next 10 picks.
Both Ebron and Hockenson are now off the team’s roster, and neither player developed into the kind of dramatic weapon that folks likely hoped they would when they were selected.
Detroit’s new front office may have already sent the message by drafting Mitchell with pick 177 and scooping up Wright as an undrafted free agent in 2021 that they won’t be looking to repeat those prior mistakes.
For any fans dead set on adding a tight end very early, remember that Mitchell could be set to break out himself in 2023. That will be important to file away ahead of this year’s draft.