INDIANAPOLIS — Toledo cornerback Kunyon Mitchell may be running out of boxes to check off before the 2024 NFL Draft arrives. Mitchell dominated the MAC in his last two seasons with the Rockets, with six interceptions and 45 pass breakups. He caught the attention of Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, who made other top-ranked draft prospects at his position decline invitations to the annual pre-draft showcase in Mobile. Mitchell said he went to the Senior Bowl to compete and with a point to prove. “I get along well with the big girls,” Mitchell said. Mitchell skyrocketed up draft boards based on his dominance in practices and drills at the Senior Bowl, and Mitchell has shown that the level of competition in college is not the limit to his ability and potential as a prospect. I wanted to show it. Mitchell brings that same mindset to Indianapolis, having watched the Chiefs run Trent McDuffie and the Eagles' Darius Slay. Regarding what Mitchell learned in Mobile, he said, “You get paid to buy balls.” “I learned at the Senior Bowl that every ball thrown into the air is worth $2.5 million. I'm just trying to get that money.” Speed tests are fine, too. Mitchell clocked his GPS chip at 37 mph, the same top speed as Miami Dolphins All-Pro Tyreek Hill. NFL Next Gen Stats uses the same technology and he tracked only three scoring plays over 32 mph in his 2023 regular season. Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (22.23, Week 13), Bengals running back Chase Brown (22.05 mph, Week 14), and Hill (22.01 mph, Week 5). There are some big names on the cornerback draft board, led by Alabama's starting tandem of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. However, recruiting rankings are meaningless at this point. Toledo primarily played in off-man coverage, freeing up Mitchell to showcase his ball-hawking abilities. By midway through the 2023 season, draft analysts at prominent media outlets began to float Mitchell's name as a potential second-round cornerback. The Athletic and NFL Network rated Mitchell a top-15 pick at the start of this week's scouting combine. Weighing 193 pounds, he ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds at a school timing competition last spring. Mitchell said his times have gotten even faster since then and he also has a background in track. “I didn't come here to be mediocre. I came here to break records,” he said Thursday. –Field level media
