Possible Bucs First Round Draft Pick UCLA 6'1" WR Freddie Mitchell
Steven Robinson
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Brian DeLucia
The Washington Redskins have their eyes on three players who have graded the
highest on their draft board going into the middle of March. The top rated
receiver on Washington's board is UCLA's Freddie Mitchell. They like his
versatility on offense and feel he would also upgrade their special teams
production with his return skills. The Green Bay Packers and Carolina
Panthers are other teams that have a lot of interest in Mitchell, whose
stock has climbed into the first round with many teams.
UCLA wide receiver Freddie Mitchell surprised scouts on Sunday with his
forty time. His times varied from a 4.46-4.49 with a few scouts. There is no
question that he is a good athlete, but he doesn't play as fast on film
because he is a one-speed guy on the field who doesn't show a second gear
very often. He isn't a first rounder as mention in the media by many teams.
This alone likely will not move his stock up dramatically with most teams
who weight most of their grade towards film. His campus workout will be
looked at closely to see what he does as an encore. But should develop into
a solid contributor as a professional due to his athletic ability and
versatility on the field.
UCLA's Freddie Mitchell was one guy who helped himself. But that doesn't
mean he worked his way into the first round. Most scouts thought he would
run a 4.55-4.6, but created a buzz with his time, which ranged from a
4.38-4.41 by some scouts. But he doesn't show a second gear on the field,
which could keep his stock out of round one.
Mitchell has been a play-maker at UCLA and shows a lot of versatility, which
should be valued. But his workouts will set the tone for his stock. There is
a big question on whether he has the second gear to make a difference at the
pro level like he did in college. He is a first rounder in the eyes of the
media, but most teams grade him lower than that.
Shows fairly good size and speed to make plays. Provides versatility on the
field and can make a lot of things happen. Has the toughness to work
underneath, but the speed to make plays downfield.
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The Sporting News War Room
Grade: 6.6
NFL Comparison: Peter Warrick, Bengals
Hands: Has exceptional hands. Catches just about everything thrown his way.
Has big-play flair, and knows how to position himself to make great plays.
Grade: 7.2
Patterns: Is sharp. Has tremendous body control and quickness. Gets in and
out of cuts with lightening quickness, but will get pushed around some. Will
be a better perimeter route runner than an inside guy. Grade: 6.8
Run after catch: Is tough to track down after the catch. Has impressive
speed, quickness and footwork. Looks comfortable with the ball in his hands,
and knows how to get upfield right away. Grade: 7.0
Release: Will be an area of concern because of size. Is competitive, and
uses quickness to break free from press coverage, but lack of size and
strength might hurt him in NFL. Grade: 6.1
Blocking: Likes to mix it up, but is not a huge factor blocking downfield.
Will do his job and get to his guy, but never gets 20 yards downfield to
block. Grade: 6.2
Bottom line: He is leaving school early, but Mitchell has more know-how that
most receivers in the 2001 class. He might not be the most athletic receiver
in the draft, but his intangibles combined with great quickness and good
speed should see him selected no later than the second round.
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Dan Pompei
Is a solid possession receiver who runs tight routes and makes the tough
catch. Is productive. Isn't afraid to go over the middle. Speed is in
question, but if he runs well, could move up draft boards. Is more of a
football player than an athlete.
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TFY
After running a good time Freddie Mitchell caught the ball well the rest of
the day. He was the only receiver we saw that caught every ball during the
first drill, a test in which the receivers ran laterally across the twenty
yard line and had quarterbacks on both the left and right sides, alternately
spaced five yards apart and ten yards off the line of scrimmage, firing
balls at them as he ran. The object was to not only catch the ball but
complete the drill running full tilt and Mitchell did just that. He really
stood out all afternoon and was not only fast but showed total body control
when going for the grab.
Speedster that stretches the defense down the flanks and one that will also
go over the middle for the tough reception. Great speed, adjusts well to the
deep pass and catches the ball well running full tilt. Makes the tough grab
in a crowd and does not break stride or lose any momentum. Decent,
consistent hands for the most part. Not big, has difficulty with stronger
opponents and loses out when in a battle for the reception. Refining his
skills and has a great upside.
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Frank Coyle
Speedy junior completed a huge final season with a great bowl performance.
He has the speed to get deep and strike from anywhere on the field. His
big-play ability will warrant an early grade in this draft class.
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Mel Kiper
7. Freddie Mitchell, UCLA -- Delivered a number of A-plus performances last
season, finishing with 68 catches for nearly a 20-yard average and eight
touchdowns. He also showed he can throw the football, tossing a pair of TD
strikes covering 31 and 45 yards. Once he ran the 4.44 at the combine,
Mitchell established himself as a top-echelon prospect at the strong and
very deep WR position.
The player who most improved his draft position at the WR spot was without
question UCLA's Freddie Mitchell. The exciting junior -- who proved to be a
super blue-chip, big-play wideout in the Pac-10 -- clearly stole the show in
Indy. Mitchell ran in the mid 4.4s, then came through with a top-drawer
effort in the positional workout. I've been saying all along that if
Mitchell showed true big-league speed at the combine or during an individual
workout, he will elevate significantly from the later portion of Round 1.
Folks, that's exactly what happened. Mitchell is now a potential
mid-first-rounder if the momentum continues leading to April 21.
This enthusiastic and energetic young man really enjoys playing the game.
He'll talk a great deal leading up to game day, then has the capability to
back it up with his performance with the pads on. Mitchell is lightning
quick out of his cuts, then shows the necessary natural pass-receiving
skills. And when the opportunity has presented itself, the 5-foot-11,
185-pounder has also proven to be effective throwing the football. With all
the competition at wide receiver as far as the first round is concerned,
whether he's in the mid-to-later portion of round one will boil down to his
workout numbers.
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PFW
Notes: Four-sport athlete and a football All-American in high school. Also
was a top baseball player. Played for UCLA's baseball team and was drafted
by the White Sox. Did not join the UCLA football team until October of 1997
and wound up redshirting. Got off to a great start in '98. Caught four
passes for 108 yards and one touchdown, returned seven kickoffs for 125
yards and three punts for 17 yards, carried the ball once for 30 yards and
threw a touchdown pass before breaking his leg (femur) early in Game Two vs.
Houston on a kickoff return. Most of his stats came in the opener vs. Texas.
Came back to throw a touchdown pass in the Rose Bowl but was not ready to
play on a regular basis. Still struggled to come back from his injury in '
99, starting just 6-of-11 games. Led the team with 38 catches for 533 yards
but did not have a TD catch. Batted .235 in 26 games as an outfielder for
the UCLA baseball team and was drafted by the Sox. Then had a sensational
season, catching 68-1,314-8 and throwing two TD passes during the regular
season. Finished his UCLA career by catching 9-180-1 in the Sun Bowl vs.
Wisconsin and earning MVP honors. Also was an All-Pacific-10 choice, made
some All-America teams and was a top-three finisher for the Biletnikoff
Award as the best receiver in the land.
Positives: All-around athlete with exceptional body control and timing. Can
make the acrobatic play and the big play. Has soft hands and excellent ball
skills. Always wants the ball and wants to be the go-to guy. Will adjust and
make the tough catch over the middle. Does a very good job of getting
separation. Can beat tight man-on-man coverage or a backed-off cornerback.
Superb passer who is always a threat to throw on trick plays. Can and has
returned punts and kickoffs. Very productive football player. Comes across
well in interviews. Very outgoing. Highly competitive. Rises to the
occasion. Plays big in big games.
Negatives: Can be a little too much of an "I" guy. Knowingly took a penalty
for taunting in the Sun Bowl and acted in an unsportsmanlike fashion all
game with his arrogance and desire to show the other team up. Had a badly
broken leg. Is not a true burner. Lacks great size.
Summary: A natural receiver with a lot of confidence, athleticism and
pass-catching ability, but he can be a little selfish and self-centered at
times.
The guy's got a world of natural receiving ability, and statistically he had
a phenomenal Sun Bowl, but he seems to antagonize everyone, rub everyone the
wrong way and is always looking to call attention to himself. His
performance, though brilliant as a receiver, was so embarrassing with the
taunting and self-promotion in the Sun Bowl that he hurt himself.
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Mike Detillier
UCLA's Freddie Mitchell is a damn good football player. He's not super fast,
but I would bet quite a few dollars, that he runs a (4.47) or (4.48) 40-yard
time or better. Look what he did to Jamar Fletcher at the Sun Bowl. He has
been extremely productive, he runs good routes and he knows how to set up
defensive backs to get open. He has come back from a horrific leg break, but
to me he's is a very, very good wide receiver prospect Right now, he's a guy
that is straddling the first round or very early 2nd round pick mark.
Mitchell is real quick and he has sure hands and in many respects, he
reminds me of O.J. McDuffie with the Miami Dolphins.
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Boomer's
Former quarterback who has turned into a speedy, big player receiver with a
tremendous upside. Has demonstrated very quick hands and awesome hand-eye
coordination that could be a result of his baseball career with the
Bruins... Has made the spectacular catch look rather ordinary during his
time at UCLA... A solid receiver for each of the past several seasons,
Mitchell really put it all together this season, catching a team high 77
balls for nearly 1,500 yards and 9 touchdowns. That is great production!
Proving both his consistency and big play ability, Mitchell averaged nearly
125 receiving yards a game, at over 19 yards a catch... Solid route-running,
and great YAC ability in the open field. Good height, but a bit slight, and
can get beaten out for the ball. Will go over the middle, but is not the
fearless type... Broke his left leg in 1998 and has yet to regain the same
deep speed... A solid blocker down field. One helluva trash talker,
constantly yapping to whoever will listen, but has thus far shown the
ability to back up his words... Has shown the ability to be a very explosive
punt returner, as well.... Good hands, but not great ones and not as
polished a receiver as some of the others, but a kid with great athletic
ability and a player who could be a solid first round pick. Performed very,
very well at the Combine - stealing the show during the wide receiver
workouts by displaying excellent speed, flexibility, quickness, and much
more reliable hands than he had displayed throughout the season... A
high-mid 1st round pick, at this point... COMBINE REPORT: didn't lift, 4.43
forty.
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NFLDraft.net
Mitchell was the heart and soul of the Bruin offense in 2000, catching 77
passes for 1,494 yards and nine touchdowns, including an 80-yard bomb. As a
bonus he also threw touchdowns on his only two pass attempts of the season,
totaling 76 yards. Has experience as a return man but didn't play much on
special teams as a senior. Is a very elusive runner with good speed and
quickness. Shows good anticipation and field vision. Has outstanding speed
and quickness down the field. Shows a quick burst and generates separation
from the defender, however he will run sloppy routes at times. Shows some
ability as a deep threat who can get downfield in a vertical offense. Is
fairly effective elevating to take the ball away from the defender.
Generally won't run before he catches the ball. Is a smooth, natural pass
catcher who doesn't fight the ball. Has an above average burst out of his
break. Shows the ability to break through tackles and pick up extra yardage.
Has above-average concentration and usually pulls in catchable balls.
Generally looks the ball into his hands. Can make very acrobatic plays on
the ball. Possesses top-notch body control, showing the ability to adjust to
a poorly thrown pass. Shows the ability to maintain his balance after taking
a hit. Is a top-notch athlete who can do anything he wants to at the
receiver position. Mitchell is a tall, blazing-fast receiver who can be a
legitimate downfield threat. Should emerge as an elite receiver in the NFL.