Raiders’ Mitchell: “I Really Feel Like I Have Even More To Prove”

[Raider Jason]

Posted by Aaron Wilson on April 29, 2009, 2:56 p.m. EDT
When the Oakland Raiders drafted fairly obscure Ohio University safety Michael Mitchell in the second round last weekend, the pick was almost universally criticized as a reach.

However, the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns also had high grades on Mitchell and were considering drafting him in the second round.

And now that Mitchell has heard about the significant negative reaction to where he went in the draft from multiple analysts, including Mel Kiper of ESPN, he’s determined to show that the Raiders were correct in their assessment of his value.

In an interview with Jeffrey Chadiha of ESPN.com, Mitchell makes it clear that he’ll use the second-guessing to fuel his work ethic.

“I definitely have a lot of motivation,” Mitchell told ESPN. “Some people basically said I wasn’t a good football player from the minute I got drafted. … I know teams like Chicago and Cleveland were interested in me, and I appreciate that they were willing to draft me regardless of what other people were saying.

“But now that the Raiders have given me a shot when nobody knew anything about me, I really feel like I have even more to prove. If people thought I was working hard before the draft, just wait until they see me after it.”

Mitchell took 13 official visits prior to the draft, and the 6′1,” 220-pound defensive back impressed NFL teams with a strong Pro Day workout.

His 40-yard dash time was a swift 4.43 seconds. Plus, he registered a 37 1/2 inch vertical leap and bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times.

Raiders coach Tom Cable told Oakland reporters that Mitchell’s aggressive, hard-hitting approach to the game reminds him of Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum.

“He literally knocks people out,” Cable said. “It allows you know to get back to Raider style of football, which is really the reason I wanted this guy so bad.”



SOUNDS LIKE HE WILL HAVE A LOT TO PROVE FOR A LONG TIME. GOOD FOR THE RAIDERS!

[MexRaider]

Yesterday, I heard Adam Shein and Solomon Wilcots say on Sirius NFL that the Raiders were "floating" the story about Chicago being interested only because they had taken so much heat over their second round pick. I personally think this will be a good pick up. Go Raiders

[raiderfreak7]

Yesterday, I heard Adam Shein and Solomon Wilcots say on Sirius NFL that the Raiders were "floating" the story about Chicago being interested only because they had taken so much heat over their second round pick. I personally think this will be a good pick up. Go Raiders

That's hilarious. Jerry Angelo, GM of the Bears, was quoted as saying "We traded back (from 49) because the guy we targeted was taken." And with Mitchell saying the Bears had him on the phone, I'd take my chances on it being the Bears.

These guys just have to do whatever it takes to rag on the Raiders don't they?

EDIT:

At the beginning of the second round, the Bears told Ohio safety Michael Mitchell to stay by his phone because they planned to draft him at No. 49. But the Raiders beat them to it, taking Mitchell two spots earlier.

"When [the Bears] did that, I was like, 'I'm going to be a Chicago Bear,' " Mitchell told the Raiders media during a teleconference. "That's what I was thinking."

That's what the Bears were thinking, too, until Oakland raided their second-round cupboard.

"Unfortunately the players we targeted at 49 did not fall to us and we weren't in a position that we were able to move up ¿ we just didn't have enough," Angelo said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/nfldraft/chi-26-haugh-bears-nfl-draft-apr26,0,4716296.column

[Madturk]

Haven't heard shit about how the Chiefs, Denver and SD reached for some of the players they drafted. It's just fashionable now to blast on Oakland and that ain't changing until we get back on the winning track. Just get used to it

[raiderdog]

Both of our 1st day picks should have a chip on their shoulders for the way they were belittled by the media. Let's hope they use it for motivation. Here is the whole story from ESPN.


Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Under-the-radar Raider ready for impact
By Jeffri Chadiha
ESPN.com

If you want a player to root for now that the NFL draft has concluded, here's a name worth remembering: Oakland Raiders safety Michael Mitchell.

He's the unheralded prospect from Ohio University who went from being a potential late-round pick to a second-round selection. He's also the player with the biggest chip on his shoulder, now that several draft analysts have questioned his being chosen so high.

"I definitely have a lot of motivation," Mitchell said. "Some people basically said I wasn't a good football player from the minute I got drafted."

Mitchell is referring to the surprise that followed his becoming the 47th overall pick in this past weekend's draft. Since Raiders owner Al Davis already had shocked most people by selecting Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey seventh overall -- when more highly touted targets like Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin were available -- the choice of Mitchell seemed to be just more evidence that Davis had gone completely bonkers. First the Raiders take a speedy receiver with shaky hands. Then they select an obscure safety so far under the radar that you would need a GPS to locate him.

But here's what we all have to remember about Mitchell: He now has more reasons than ever before to prove himself in the NFL. He has the same hopes and desires and -- if you talk to him long enough -- as much heart as any other player in this class. It doesn't matter that few people outside the Mid-American Conference knew his name before Saturday or that he went much higher than expected in the draft. It only matters what he does with the chance Davis has given him.

That's why Mitchell can't wait to start his pro career.

"[Being chosen by the Raiders] makes me want to play that much harder," Mitchell said. "I know teams like Chicago and Cleveland were interested in me, and I appreciate that they were willing to draft me regardless of what other people were saying. But now that the Raiders have given me a shot when nobody knew anything about me, I really feel like I have even more to prove. If people thought I was working hard before the draft, just wait until they see me after it."

Although it's obvious Davis has made his share of mistakes with overrated draft picks in the past, that isn't a legitimate reason to assume Mitchell can't play in the NFL. As Mitchell pointed out, there were other teams that were impressed with his potential. He said the Bears told him to wait by the phone when they were preparing for their second-round pick, an indication Chicago liked him that early as well. It's just that the Raiders were willing to move faster.

And judging by the way the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Mitchell performed during his predraft workouts, it wasn't a surprise his stock soared. He didn't gripe when his success at Ohio University -- he was a three-year starter and registered 62 tackles and a team-high three interceptions as a senior -- didn't earn him an invitation to the league's scouting combine in February.

Instead, he turned Ohio's pro day into his personal stage. Along with showcasing his strength (he bench-pressed 225 pounds 22 times) and leaping ability (a 37½-inch vertical leap), Mitchell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds.

Suddenly, Mitchell wasn't just another no-name prospect from a Bobcats program that has had just 28 players selected in NFL draft history. He was that commodity that makes pro scouts giddy: a sleeper. He had the size, the athleticism and, above all else, the versatility.

"When I started visiting teams, the thing I kept hearing was that I was interchangeable," Mitchell said. "I could play free safety or strong safety, and they liked that. Now, I'm not big on talking about myself, but there weren't a lot of guys [in the draft] with my height, weight and speed combination. I think that made me more marketable."

Mitchell visited 13 teams after his pro day in March. Some just had him take a physical while promising that he'd be a late-round pick if available. Others -- like the Raiders, the Bears and the Browns -- saw him as a far more valuable commodity. Mitchell said Raiders coach Tom Cable made it clear that he envisioned Mitchell as a fierce tackler who could fill the team's void at strong safety instead of merely contributing on special teams.

"When you see some highlights of this guy, you're going to see a guy that has that Ronnie Lott, that Jack Tatum mentality," Cable said of Mitchell in the Contra Costa Times. "He literally knocks people out. It allows you know to get back to Raider style of football, which is really the reason I wanted this guy so bad."

Cable's admiration was not the only reason Mitchell could sense his stock rising. He learned just as much by talking with players on his visits, like when he spoke with Texas All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo at Cleveland's headquarters in early April. Orakpo, whom Washington drafted 13th overall, was making his seventh visit, and that opened Mitchell's eyes as to where he stood in the predraft universe.

"I was making my eighth visit at that point, and here I was talking to a guy with all these accolades," Mitchell said. "That's when I started thinking I really had a chance to go higher."

Now that Mitchell has a chance, he doesn't look like a man who is going to blow it. He knows he'll be facing plenty of scrutiny. He understands the excitement of being a higher pick means he also has to operate under the weight of loftier expectations. But Mitchell also is a young man who entered college as a 5-11, 188-pound defensive back with only two other Division I offers. He's not going to think he's arrived now that the lights are getting a lot brighter.

What Mitchell realizes is the NFL is filled with players who once were as unknown as he is. They have names like Kurt Warner, James Harrison and Tony Romo, and they had to win over the skeptics the same way he will. The only thing that separates them from Mitchell at this stage is that no team was willing to spend a high draft pick on any of them. But they also ultimately proved their value.

That's why Mitchell is embracing his underdog status.

"There are a lot of guys in this draft who got to play in front of 80,000 people in college and they also got a lot of things handed to them, which they probably deserved," Mitchell said.

"And people like me have always had to hear about how we played at small schools where the competition was weaker. But I do know one thing: If people don't respect me now, I'm going to get that respect at some point."

Given how Mitchell came into the league, the odds favor him making good on that promise.

Senior writer Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

[hawaiianboy]

From The National Post:

NFL Draft: Second Round Breakdown

FROM WES BUNTING:

In day two of my NFL draft value and scheme breakdown, I take a look at the second round and discuss some of my impressions now that we’re three days removed from draft weekend. Second-round picks in the NFL are like gold — they can develop into starters relatively early in their careers for a relatively small price.


SS Michael Mitchell, Oakland Raiders

Unlike most draft prognosticators, I’m not going to pile on Mitchell, the Raiders’ second round pick. Fact is, I really like Mitchell and think he has as much upside as any strong safety in the draft class. When I was studying film on his teammate, CB Mark Parson, there was a bone-crunching hitter who kept making plays against the run and pass. The more I watched the game, the more intrigued I was with Mitchell. Now, because of the small-school label and some concerns I had about his overly aggressive nature, I simply didn’t have the guts to put him in my top 10 (I’m kicking myself for it now). However, don’t think Mitchell is just some slug with a nice YouTube video; the kid can run, hit and consistently drive on the football. The only problem I have with the selection is where he was taken. I think the third/fourth-round range would have been more respectable. At the same time, I believe if you have certain convictions about a player, it’s never too early to take him.

The rest HERE.... (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/04/nfl-draft-second-round-breakdown/)

[Rupert]

Very nice breakdown.

[NIPS]

Mr. Snot Bubble

[TheNextStep]

We're going to have to do better than that in the nickname department, Nipsy...

[Birdwell]

The critics are beginning to do a little CYA.

And Adam Shein and Solomon Wilcots must believe that Al Davis is realy damn powerful, to be able to plant a story in a Chicago paper with local Chicago sources.

[NIPS]

We're going to have to do better than that in the nickname department, Nipsy...


Dr. cerebrospinal fluid ??

[MexRaider]

Bird, That's probably what's happening, Their "Floating" their own story to cover their own asses. Yeah I'm convinced that's what's happening...LOL. Good job Bird, good angle.

[Sabers]

Haven't heard shit about how the Chiefs, Denver and SD reached for some of the players they drafted. It's just fashionable now to blast on Oakland and that ain't changing until we get back on the winning track. Just get used to it

Never mind the weirdness in other teams' picks. If Al Davis picks up a glass of water, it's a reach. *shrug*

When you make yourself into the kind of lightning rod that Al has over the years, people want to see lightning strike. Entertaining for them, not so good for you. Same as it ever was.

G.
'09 for COOP and CANE

[Postmaster]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9516936/7-Points:-Miami-gives-mobile-White-chance-at-QB

Point 7: Proving once again that the NFL draft is an inexact science, Ohio's Michael Mitchell was this year's Phoenix pick.

After suffering through a 4-8 season at Ohio, safety Michael Mitchell needed to rise out of the ashes like the mythological bird, the Phoenix, before he could soar to new heights.

And boy, did he ever.

Mitchell and I talked two months ago and he was clearly befuddled over being snubbed by the NFL Combine selection process and by his status as an under-the-radar prospect who many prognosticators projected as a late-round selection at best. But on Saturday, to the shock of practically every draft pundit and members of the NFL media community, the Oakland Raiders added Mitchell to their roster in the second round with the 47th pick overall.

At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, the former Bobcats defensive back had startled NFL scouts with a Pro Day workout that included 21 bench press reps, a vertical jump of 37.5 inches, and a pair of sub-4.5-second 40-yard dashes. And when teams started to review more film, they saw a fast-to-the-ball safety who really packs a wallop when he hits people, forcing their legs to fly out from under them as he lowers his shoulder into their chest. He made 62 tackles during his senior year, forced a pair of fumbles and picked off three passes.

"I looked at the day as, 'finally here's my chance.' I just wanted to get in a room with guys like William Moore, Mike Hamlin and Louis Delmas and compete with those guys. But since I didn't get to do that, my Pro Day was my chance to show that I could," he said.

Mitchell worked out for the Chicago Bears, who stayed in close contact with him following his Pro Day, and for the Bengals during their local Pro Day for area athletes. And he had official visits with the Indianapolis Colts, the Cleveland Browns, the Oakland Raiders and the Green Bay Packers.

"I would be lying if I said that I knew I was going to get drafted on the first day, but my agent, Brian Hamilton of Plan B Sports told me I had a good chance," Mitchell said during a phone call Monday night. "He called me at about pick 44 or 45 and told me that Chicago had just called and to stay close to the phone, that he thought I was about to be a Bear."

But before Chicago had an opportunity to make their move, Oakland stepped up to make their second-round pick.

"Pick 47 rolls around and my phone rings, and it's Oakland, and they said that they were going to draft me. Once I got off the phone with Coach Cable, we went nuts, I went running down the street barefoot, just screaming. It was a really good time."

Mitchell's agent also told him that the Cleveland Browns had led him to believe that they were targeting the physical defender early in the draft.

At 6-foot-1, the hard-hitting safety will have the most imposing physical frame out of all of the defensive backs in the Raiders secondary.

"I'm going to go in there anywhere between 215 to 220. I'll be a really good size, I'm going to be strong, I'm going to be ready to help them win games," he said.

[jatfly]

Once I see him in his Uniform I will have to get some one to build me my Mike Mitchell avatar!