TBD
Mitchell was born in Missouri City, Texas. He started his high school football career at Ridge Point High School in Missouri City and eventually shifted to Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tennessee.
Mitchell was named 2019 Tennessean Region 5-6A Athlete of the Year and helped lead Cane Ridge to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. He committed to Ole Miss as a three-star recruit before flipping to Georgia in 2021.
During his two years at Georgia, he won two national championships. Mitchell was the final touchdown scorer for the Bulldogs in the 2022 national title game against Alabama. In 2023, he transferred to the University of Texas, where he had his most productive college season.
You won't find many receivers who are more physically gifted than Texas's Aondai Mitchell. Mitchell has rare movement skills for a 6' 4'' 200 lbs pass catcher that allow him to separate at will. The problem is that his effort doesn't always match the talent #BuildingTheBoard pic.twitter.com/t2plsTWtxS
— Goodbye Ben Johnson (@TommyK_NFLDraft) December 28, 2023
Mitchell projects best as an X receiver who can win on the outside on the line of scrimmage. He wins with wiggle and superb change-of-direction ability deployed in his routes. His best reps are first-round-caliber, but his consistency and production don’t align.
The two biggest questions teams will be asking about Mitchell are why his talent hasn’t led to more production and why is his effort spotty.
One can explain the production issue as he was surrounded by so much other pass-catching talent at Texas and Georgia. But the inconsistent effort issue is something only he can answer to. Mitchell will have to assure teams that this issue won’t follow him to the NFL. Team visits and interviews will be massive for his draft stock.
I expect Mitchell to be one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Therefore, if he went in the first round, I wouldn’t be surprised. If he fell to the third round, I wouldn’t be surprised either. There's a lot to like about Mitchell, but he's not without risk.
Envisioning Mitchell on the Chicago Bears, he'd serve as a credible receiving option on the line of scrimmage alongside DJ Moore. Mitchell has the versatility to line up anywhere, though, and he could take advantage of the one-on-one looks Moore's presence would afford him.
Pro Comparison: (an inconsistent) Michael Pittman
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