NFL Draft Rumors: 3 Teams who should be all in on Senior Bowl star Quinyon Mitchell
Usually, the Senior Bowl allows prospects from small schools to come out and shine against the big dogs, giving NFL teams a chance to potentially find diamonds.
This year, that diamond could be Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who, according to scouts and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, cemented himself as a first-round pick with a dominant performance.
"He was the best player on the field on Tuesday. That's not a hot take. That's reality," one anonymous scout said.
Well, that's some praise, especially for a player who doesn't hail from a big Power 5 school, and frankly, you don't have to go to a big Power 5 school to make an impact in the NFL. At six-foot, 196 pounds, Mitchell had 39 pass breakups over the past three seasons, which is pretty good, and with the NFL becoming more pass-heavy, that type of production is essential.
So where can Mitchell go? As of this particular performance, he may just rocket-shot himself into the first round, but the bottom of the first round, which is still pretty good as Toledo has only one first-round pick in their history, DE Dan Williams of the Denver Broncos back in 1993. Williams had 27 sacks in his career (1993-2001).
Let's take a look at 3 teams who could take a flier on Mitchell in this year's draft.
No. 1: Dallas Cowboys
This past season saw the emergence of DaRon Bland as he filled in for an injured Trevon Diggs. With Stephon Gilmore on the opposing side, the secondary of Dallas was a menace for the opposition, until the playoffs.
Now, the Cowboys need to reload on talent to get back to the postseason and make amends for their failures.
Adding Mitchell in the first round wouldn't be a bad idea. On top of that, Will McClay, who puts the Cowboys draft boards together, knows how to find talent, see their recent drafts and their draft history since 2011. They know where to go for good players.
Adding Mitchell to the Dallas secondary would make it younger and faster than it already is. Additionally, if Dallas opts to not retain Gilmore, Diggs and Bland can occupy the outside and allow Mitchell to move in as a nickelback and instantly find a way to contribute as most teams are operating out of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR).
The Cowboys could once again show why they are one of the better scouting teams by taking a small school prospect and turning him into one of their better secret weapons.