Looking back, it’s kind of hard to believe no one wanted to draft Keaton Mitchell.
Aside from one number — he’s a little lighter than you might want — everything seemed like it lined up. Every metric, in every way. He’s even got NFL pedigree as his father, Anthony Mitchell, won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens following the 2000 season.
Still, through 7 rounds of the 2023 NFL draft, no one wanted anything to do with Mitchell.
The ones who could end up benefiting the most? The Ravens, with Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay singling Mitchell out as a “Deep Sleeper” breakout running back in 2025 after struggling with injuries through his first 2 seasons.
Mitchell led the Ravens with 9 carries for 68 yards — 7.8 yards per carry — and a 22-yard rushing touchdown in a 24-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener.
“While Mitchell was clearly the best of Baltimore’s backs who participated in the preseason opener, he will still need to usurp longtime RB2 Justice Hill to get a role backing up Henry and anywhere close to the fantasy radar this season,” Kay wrote on August 12. “If Mitchell continues to shine throughout the remainder of training camp and outplays Hill, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the speedy back open 2025 as Henry’s primary backup and a change-of-pace option.”
Mitchell Put Up Big Numbers at ECU
Mitchell, 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, was more than impressive during 3 seasons at East Carolina with over 1,100 rushing yards and over 250 receiving yards each of his last 2 seasons.
Mitchell, a 2-time All-AAC pick, he was at his best in his final season in 2022, when he had 1,452 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He also had 27 receptions for 252 yards and a receiving touchdown.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Mitchell projected as a sixth round pick after he tested out the roof at the NFL scouting combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds and registering a 38-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump.
“He mashes the gas pedal and gets to top speed quickly,” Zierlein wrote in 2023. “He can outflank defenses and chalk up a long run if defenses aren’t ready for him … Teams will need to have a plan for him, but he’s electric with the ball in his hands. His big-play potential could be hard to pass up for teams needing more juice.”
Injuries Have Held Mitchell Back Until Now
Mitchell was amazing as a rookie in 2023 until he tore his ACL. He had 396 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns and averaged 8.4 yards per carry in just 8 games to go with 9 receptions for 93 yards. The recovery from his knee injury limited him to just 5 games in 2024 with just 30 rushing yards.
““He’s put a lot of work in to get back to this point, and I know how bad he wants it and how hard he worked to get back to feeling like himself,” Ravens running back Derrick Henry told Ravens reporter Carita Parks on August 7.
How the Ravens decide to use Henry in 2025 will probably determine a lot of how many carries Mitchell gets, as it’s not likely Henry will be asked to carry the same load that resulted in 1,921 rushing yards in 2024.
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