From OnlineAthens.com
April 30th, 2016 11:55 AM
Malcolm Mitchell didn’t put up eye-popping statistics during a college career sidetracked by injuries, most notably a torn ACL, but the wide receiver showed enough as a senior for Georgia when he stayed healthy to think his best may still to be come.
The New England Patriots certainly hope that’s the case. They picked Mitchell in the fourth round of the NFL draft with the No. 112 overall pick Saturday.
"I thank the organization for believing in me and it’s my job to come up there and work as hard as I can to show that they made a good decision," Mitchell said in a teleconference.
Georgia may have had passing struggles the last two seasons, but for the second year in a row a wide receiver was a mid-round draft pick. Chris Conley went in the third round last season to Kansas City.
Now Mitchell will be catching passes from Tom Brady and become a teammate of former Georgia center David Andrews, who became a starter after signing last year as an undrafted free agent. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was at Georgia's Pro Day in March when Mitchell worked out.
"The coaches are always putting their players in the position to thrive and make plays, to learn to grow throughout the system," Mitchell said of his new team. "That’s something I’ve noticed since I was watching them years ago and man, what a coincidence that I’ll be able to interact with those coaches, be a part of their team, and hopefully help the Patriots one day."
After Mitchell was drafted, ESPN’s Trey Wingo showed a copy on air of Mitchell’s children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat,” that he has read to kids in the area and the state. Mitchell’s story of joining a women’s bookclub after becoming a passionate reader during his time injured was also talked about on the NFL Network.
Since Mitchell had difficulty reading before college, he was asked during his session with Patriots' reporters if he thought he would have any problem adjusting to a system that has been hard on new receivers.
"I appreciate the question," he said. "To be completely honest, I’m pretty confident in my ability to learn and, you know, I took a visit with the Patriots. We went over several different things just to see if I would be a good fit for the system so for them to pick me up lets me know that they have confidence in me to be able to make that adjustment and learn what I need to learn to be the most effective player I can be on the field."
Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst, listed the 6-foot, 198-pound Mitchell as one of the draft’s undervalued prospects calling him one of the more ready-to-play receivers in the draft.
Mitchell led Georgia with 58 catches for 865 yards and had five touchdowns as a senior. He finished his career with 174 catches for 2,350 yards and 16 touchdowns in a career that included some play at defensive back early on.
"The thing I like about him is he can play outside and give you that homerun, but he can go inside and play as well," Jeremiah said. "The Patriots do a better job than anybody of developing slot receivers."
Mitchell knows a thing or two about New England beyond football. He interned last May at the Markley Group in downtown Boston.
"I loved it," he said. "Which I could be biased, I came in May where the weather wasn’t as cold as it normally is but when I came up there for a team visit I loved every bit of it."
...READ MORE HERE...
April 30th, 2016 11:55 AM
Malcolm Mitchell didn’t put up eye-popping statistics during a college career sidetracked by injuries, most notably a torn ACL, but the wide receiver showed enough as a senior for Georgia when he stayed healthy to think his best may still to be come.
The New England Patriots certainly hope that’s the case. They picked Mitchell in the fourth round of the NFL draft with the No. 112 overall pick Saturday.
"I thank the organization for believing in me and it’s my job to come up there and work as hard as I can to show that they made a good decision," Mitchell said in a teleconference.
Georgia may have had passing struggles the last two seasons, but for the second year in a row a wide receiver was a mid-round draft pick. Chris Conley went in the third round last season to Kansas City.
Now Mitchell will be catching passes from Tom Brady and become a teammate of former Georgia center David Andrews, who became a starter after signing last year as an undrafted free agent. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was at Georgia's Pro Day in March when Mitchell worked out.
"The coaches are always putting their players in the position to thrive and make plays, to learn to grow throughout the system," Mitchell said of his new team. "That’s something I’ve noticed since I was watching them years ago and man, what a coincidence that I’ll be able to interact with those coaches, be a part of their team, and hopefully help the Patriots one day."
After Mitchell was drafted, ESPN’s Trey Wingo showed a copy on air of Mitchell’s children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat,” that he has read to kids in the area and the state. Mitchell’s story of joining a women’s bookclub after becoming a passionate reader during his time injured was also talked about on the NFL Network.
Since Mitchell had difficulty reading before college, he was asked during his session with Patriots' reporters if he thought he would have any problem adjusting to a system that has been hard on new receivers.
"I appreciate the question," he said. "To be completely honest, I’m pretty confident in my ability to learn and, you know, I took a visit with the Patriots. We went over several different things just to see if I would be a good fit for the system so for them to pick me up lets me know that they have confidence in me to be able to make that adjustment and learn what I need to learn to be the most effective player I can be on the field."
Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst, listed the 6-foot, 198-pound Mitchell as one of the draft’s undervalued prospects calling him one of the more ready-to-play receivers in the draft.
Mitchell led Georgia with 58 catches for 865 yards and had five touchdowns as a senior. He finished his career with 174 catches for 2,350 yards and 16 touchdowns in a career that included some play at defensive back early on.
"The thing I like about him is he can play outside and give you that homerun, but he can go inside and play as well," Jeremiah said. "The Patriots do a better job than anybody of developing slot receivers."
Mitchell knows a thing or two about New England beyond football. He interned last May at the Markley Group in downtown Boston.
"I loved it," he said. "Which I could be biased, I came in May where the weather wasn’t as cold as it normally is but when I came up there for a team visit I loved every bit of it."
...READ MORE HERE...
