Getty James Mitchell playing in a 2022 Lions preseason game.
The Detroit Lions’ move to deal away T.J. Hockenson has come with some notable talking points, but in terms of the future on the field, the team has nothing to do now but move forward.
Hockenson is gone, which means those left on the roster will now have to pick up the slack he leaves behind. The good news according to Dan Campbell? There’s a player already geared up to do just that in rookie tight end James Mitchell.
Speaking to the media including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com after the trade was made before practice on Wednesday, November 2, Campbell discussed what’s next for the team at tight end, and according to him, he sees Mitchell as ready to take a leap forward.
Campbell said rookie tight end James Mitchell is going to get more on his plate now after the Hockenson trade. Campbell thinks Mitchell is ready to handle more.
“Campbell said rookie tight end James Mitchell is going to get more on his plate now after the Hockenson trade. Campbell thinks Mitchell is ready to handle more,” Twentyman tweeted.
The Lions have to hope that Mitchell is ready, because the youngster is going to be thrust firmly into the spotlight now without Hockenson around on the field. Essentially, Mitchell will now be asked to prepare as if he is a top tight end.
Mitchell was slowed to start the season as he recovered from ACL surgery last year, but has taken his time acclimating to the Lions. Now, it sounds as if the team feels ready to turn him loose completely in that role.
Lions’ Offense Has Options Without Hockenson
With Hockenson out of the picture, the Lions will have the chance to audition several players before deciding on a course of action before the 2023 offseason.
The first man up may very well be Mitchell, last year’s fifth-round pick out of Virginia Tech. Mitchell has quality ball skills and is a good pass catcher. The Lions showcased him in Week 8 with an early catch which showed off some of his moves.
James Mitchell szn
Additionally, the team has Brock Wright to rely on, and the former underafted free agent broke out a bit last season. This year, he’s only put up 88 total yards, but could be expected to shoulder a bit more of the load post-Hockenson trade.
The Lions could also look at signing a player in 2023 or drafting one, but the smart money remains on them continuing to get a look at some of the talented young players they already have on the roster.
Mitchell’s College Stats & Highlights
A sneaky need for Detroit this past offseason even before Hockenson was traded was at tight end, which is why Mitchell made plenty of sense for the team in the middle rounds of the draft.
It was not a surprise to see Detroit avoid the tight end spot early, but in waiting until the fifth-round range, Mitchell made a lot of sense as a possible steal. The former basketball player is a pass catcher and can get down the field and make big plays. Mitchell hasn’t been wildly productive with just seven touchdowns and 838 yards in his career, but has the right kind of body for the league.
Outside of the ACL injury, he could have caught more attention in 2021-22. Here’s a look at what he has done:
The talent seems to be there for Mitchell, so it will be interesting to see whether or not he can make use of his big opportunity to make more plays within the Detroit offense given this chance.
Already, his coach seems to think this will be the case when it happens.