Bengals Draft Depot

Carlton Mitchell is a 3rd round prospect, but has been climbing up draft boards and I wouldn't be suprised if by April 22nd some teams have him as a 2nd rounder. Mitchell had a good showing at the NFL Combine last month turning in a 40 time of 4.49, 16 reps of 225 lbs on the bench, and over a 10 foot broad jump, all among the tops of his position. Mitchell is one of the bigger WR's in this draft at 6-3, 215 lbs. Of receivers that size he ran faster than anyone.

Mitchell is a WR that is willing to go over the middle, but has the speed to go vertical up the sidelines. He has a good vertical jump and is very good at going up and getting the ball in traffic. He has good ability to get seperation coming out of his breaks. He's a good blocker he has strong hands and long arms and is an asset outside in the running game. Mitchell has good ball skills, he can catch the short pass and make defenders miss turning short passes into big gains.

He may be a bit of a project as he's raw in talent, but I don't think it's anywhere on the level of Jerome Simpson and Bengal fans shouldn't let the Simpson pick deter you from Mitchell. His route running needs work and his hands are sometimes inconsistent.

Mitchell has a ton of upside and could end up being a steal in the 3rd or 4th round. Very few WR's in this draft have the athletic skill set that Carlton Mitchell has. Bengals fans I think he could be a TJ replacement with speed. He has the willingness and size to go over the middle. He could be the Bengals 3rd down move the chains WR and a good red zone target ala TJ Houshmandzadeh. Although projected as a 3rd rounder I could see him becoming one of the top 3 or 4 WR's in this draft class.