FOXBORO – Damn, Patriots, back at it again with drafting the wide receivers.
At least in the instance of Malcolm Mitchell there are no questions of softness or character or coachability. The 6-foot, 198-pounder is a media relations dream. He was reading at a junior high level when he got to Georgia so he devoted himself to getting better at it and joined a woman’s book club after a conversation at a Barnes & Noble.
He’s written a children’s book. He blew his ACL in 2013 but he did it after sprinting downfield to celebrate a teammate’s touchdown. He was a team captain at Georgia, loves to block, is a dependable third-down receiver, etc.
The questions about him will be his durability (2015 was his first season fully healthy) and the same question that dogs every receiver that comes into the Patriots system: Can he master the intricacies?
But the scouting report? Impossible to quibble with for the 112th overall pick.
This was the scouting report on Mitchell from Nolan Nawrocki, one of the most exhaustive and unflinching draft analysts in the business.
“A tough, passionate, crafty slot receiver who can be trusted to move the sticks in critical situations. Mitchell gained more confidence in his knee in his second year removed from ACL surgery. Brings similar energy, toughness and attitude as Steelers 1998 third-round pick Hines Ward. Smart and versatile enough to contribute in multiple roles perhaps even at cornerback where he began his Georgia career and could be most attractive to a veteran coaching staff such as the Patriots or Steelers.”
New England Patriots
Where does Mitchell fit on the Patriots depth chart?
At 6-feet, 198 pounds, he’s got the short-area speed and ability to play slot where route-running and change of direction are vital to uncovering quickly on option routes. The Patriots are well-populated there at the moment with Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan on the roster there.
But he also has the speed, length (extremely long arms and big hands) and leaping ability to be a high-pointing outside receiver. The Patriots are not as stocked there. They have the annually disappointing Aaron Dobson, 32-year-old Nate Washington and the dependable-but-low-ceiling Keshawn Martin.
Perhaps the best way to get Mitchell ingrained in the system is to let him master a little bit at a time. Start him on the outside, where he took the bulk of his 2015 snaps with the Bulldogs, and leave the slot stuff to the others.
If the team unloads Amendola – and his $6.8M cap is really starting to stick out – they still have Hogan and Edelman to take inside reps. If Mitchell shows competency, the team can unload Dobson and have the outside group of Washington, Mitchell, Martin and Hogan/Edelman.
Mitchell isn’t the long, angular field-stretcher that “takes the top off the defense” but the Patriots are not that kind of vertical offense. They can just as effectively spread a defense out over the 54 horizontal yards and they need quick, tough, smart players to do it. Mitchell may be a step in that direction.