2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Quinyon Mitchell was a 3-star prospect out of Williston High School in Williston, FL. He committed to Toledo in June 2018 before choosing to de-commit in September 2018. The following year in December of 2019 Mitchell would recommit to Toledo.
Mitchell played in 4 games his freshman year. In his second season, he picked up the pace. Through 12 games he gained 34 total tackles. However, the focus was his ability to break up passes became noticeable.
His third season was the best of his collegiate career. Mitchell helped lead Toledo to a MAC Championship. He did improve his total tackles by 6 from the year before. But the impressive stat was he had 5 interceptions with 2 touchdowns that season. On top of that, he had 19 total pass deflections with 38.6% completion against passes thrown his way.
In his final season through 13 games, he had 41 total tackles with 18 pass deflections. Only one interception. On the other hand, he allowed 43.5% of passes to be completed. Plus, he allowed zero touchdowns all season!
Measurables
Height: 6’0” (63rd-percentile)
Weight: 196lbs (64thth-percentile)
Age:
Class: Junior
NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2020 | Toledo | MAC | FR | CB | 4 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2021 | Toledo | MAC | FR | CB | 12 | 28 | 6 | 34 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |||
| *2022 | Toledo | MAC | SO | 14 | 27 | 14 | 41 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 5 | 51 | 10.2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| *2023 | Toledo | MAC | JR | CB | 13 | 32 | 9 | 41 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Toledo | 93 | 30 | 123 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 6 | 54 | 9.0 | 2 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Plays with physicality. Well rounded as a tackler getting to the ball carrier quickly.
- Natural awareness to act efficiently on the ball.
- Displays excellent coordination knowing where to put his hands to cause pass deflections or interceptions.
- A versatile corner who can excel in both zone & man coverage.
- Responds to receivers’ routes quickly and effortlessly helping him become dominant in zone coverage.
- Exceptional speed to close the gap between him and the ball carrier from any angle.
Weaknesses
- Struggles to bring down the running backs when going head-on. He is a better attacker when coming from an angle.
- Lacks smooth movement in his hips to change trajectory efficiently. He can get beat by the “twitchy” opponents.
- Can improve his man coverage. Plays physically, but is not as effective pressing at the line. Specifically, his backpedal and his rotation to shadow the receiver down the field.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Late 1st Round
Ideal Landing Spot: Detroit Lions
The Lions have pick 29 right now. It is possible Mitchell is not there that late. However, if he is I believe picking him is the best move. He fits the mold of a Lions defender. Mitchell is that gritty, physical type of defender the team wants. At least, that seems to be what they go after. Plus, he would add much-needed help in the secondary against rising receivers in the NFC North. Detroit signed CJ Gardner-Johnson last off-season. Unfortunately, he was hurt most of the year. Detroit’s secondary struggled in his absence.
Mitchell can bring that added security if Gardner-Johnson goes down. In conclusion, a secondary with Brian Branch, Gardner-Johnson, and Mitchell would be dangerous to all opposing quarterbacks.
