Robert Mitchell Scouting Report | North Carolina Central OG | 2023 NFL Draft
Player Bio
Before Robert Mitchell became the 2022 MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year at North Carolina Central University, he started his football career at Cape Henlopen High School near his hometown of Millsboro, DE.
Mitchell was a multi-sport athlete at Cape Henlopen, earning varsity letters in football and basketball. Despite being a key member of the Vikings basketball program, Mitchell was the most dominant two-way lineman on the Cape Henlopen football team.
During the 2016 season, Mitchell was an impact player at Offensive Guard and Defensive Tackle and served as a senior co-captain. Behind Mitchell’s leadership and dominance on both sides of the ball, Cape Henlopen ended its season with a 7-3 record, finishing the year as the tenth-ranked program in Delaware.
After graduating from Cape Henlopen, Mitchell continued his athletic and academic career at Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA.
As a true freshman at Lackawanna, Mitchell appeared in five games and earned valuable playing time at Right Guard.
The following season, Mitchell developed into one of Lackawanna’s most formidable offensive linemen. Starting nine games during Lackwanna’s 11-0 season, Mitchell earned Second Team All-NEJC honors and received a Division I scholarship from North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and Head Coach Trei Oliver. On February 3rd, 2018, Mitchell signed his letter of intent to continue his collegiate football career at NCCU.
In Mitchell’s first season at NCCU in 2019, he appeared in all 12 games, which included ten starts at Right Guard.
Prior to Mitchell’s senior year, NCCU had its entire 2020 season canceled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, providing Mitchell with an additional year of eligibility.
As a senior in 2021, Mitchell started the first two games of the season before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Marshall.
In 2022, Mitchell returned to NCCU and established himself as the best offensive lineman in the MEAC one year removed from a career-threatening knee injury. Mitchell started all 12 games at Right Guard in a 10-2 campaign, which included a victory in the Celebration Bowl against Jackson State. Following the most successful season in Mitchell’s career, he earned several individual awards and accolades, such as MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, First Team All-MEAC, and HBCU All-American honors.
After the 2022 season, Mitchell participated in the HBCU Legacy Bowl All-Star Game and was an offensive standout for Team Gaither in a 22-6 win.
Scouting Report
Robert Mitchell is a powerful offensive guard prospect with high-level play strength, toughness, athletic ability, and mental instincts.
At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Mitchell possesses above-average size with an athletic build and a massive, flexible lower half. With 33-inch arms and a 79-inch wingspan, Mitchell’s length makes him an ideal fit at either guard spot.
Mitchell’s athletic ability, play strength, and toughness give him high value as a run blocker. He has decent initial quickness but uses solid hand placement, leg drive, and ankle/knee bend to create running lanes for his backs. With a high mean streak and overall toughness, Mitchell is a physical run blocker who explodes off the line of scrimmage, rolls his hips well through contact, and looks to drive his man into the ground on every snap.
Mitchell’s proficient ankle/knee bend, lateral mobility, and foot speed allow him to anchor against powerful pass rushers in the interior. Mitchell has some inconsistency in his initial quickness, pad level, and leverage at the point of attack but uses good balance and body control to re-anchor into his pass set. He has heavy hands, active feet, and stays square to the line of scrimmage, which allows him to cut off pass rushers effectively.
As a senior at NCCU, Mitchell proved his value as a pass protector; He allowed seven pressures in 12 games and did not allow any sacks in 2022.
Mitchell is an intriguing athlete with sharp mental instincts and football intelligence. He has a fluid lower half, smooth mobility in open space, and decent change of direction at the second level. Mitchell has active eyes, recognizes stunts & twists, and always looks for extra work after handling his primary assignment.
As MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2022, Mitchell was a dominant force at the FCS level and could have played at the FBS level had he been identified earlier in his college career. Mitchell is only scratching the surface of his potential and might be one of the most underrated offensive guard prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. He would be a valuable addition to any team looking for interior offensive line depth in the backend of the draft.
Draft Projection
Late 6th-Priority Undrafted Free Agent
