05-19-2019, 09:54 PM
Hardaway, who had been keeping up with Mitchell’s football career, was surprised to see the kid from Memphis slide down the board.
“I was very happy for him, I felt like he dropped way too low with his talent,” Hardaway said. “That doesn’t mean every receiver that went before him better than him, it just means they did some things correctly to be noticed early. He couldn’t have gone to a larger school, so when I saw that seventh round, I thought ‘that is not where he should have been drafted.'”
On draft day, Mitchell wasn’t so much focused on his draft status, just that he had been picked.
“That moment was indescribable,” Mitchell said. “My heart was pounding. I didn’t know if it was going to be the call or not. I was just super excited, super emotional and crying like a baby.”
Hardaway said Mitchell was always a better basketball player when “somebody pissed him off.” He will enter training camp with 31 teams having provided extra motivation.
“I look at it this way: I say that Minnesota got a steal,” Hardaway said. “He’s going to prove a lot of people wrong, he’s more motivated than ever and he’s going to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Mitchell will have an opportunity to do so right away. With the No. 3 receiver spot up for grabs in camp, the Oregon star will be in the mix when the Vikings enter camp in July. With a 4.46 40-yard dash and 36 and 1/2 broad jump, he’ll also be one of the most the most athletic of the receivers who are battling for the spot.
“I feel like I have a great shot at being the third wide receiver for the team and help out as much as possible,” Mitchell said.
Hardaway didn’t drop in the draft himself — he was the NBA’s third overall pick back in 1993 — but he’s seen plenty of basketball players rise from the lower rounds to NBA stardom.
“His talent is second to none, he has the ability to be a superstar in the NFL,” Hardaway said of Mitchell. “As he just continues to maintain his focus, the biggest thing is not getting sidetracked, not doing the things that young people really want to do. Stay away from all of those things, work his butt off, watch lots of film. It didn’t matter where he got drafted, he will have an opportunity to prove himself, for sure.”
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...-mitchell/
“I was very happy for him, I felt like he dropped way too low with his talent,” Hardaway said. “That doesn’t mean every receiver that went before him better than him, it just means they did some things correctly to be noticed early. He couldn’t have gone to a larger school, so when I saw that seventh round, I thought ‘that is not where he should have been drafted.'”
On draft day, Mitchell wasn’t so much focused on his draft status, just that he had been picked.
“That moment was indescribable,” Mitchell said. “My heart was pounding. I didn’t know if it was going to be the call or not. I was just super excited, super emotional and crying like a baby.”
Hardaway said Mitchell was always a better basketball player when “somebody pissed him off.” He will enter training camp with 31 teams having provided extra motivation.
“I look at it this way: I say that Minnesota got a steal,” Hardaway said. “He’s going to prove a lot of people wrong, he’s more motivated than ever and he’s going to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Mitchell will have an opportunity to do so right away. With the No. 3 receiver spot up for grabs in camp, the Oregon star will be in the mix when the Vikings enter camp in July. With a 4.46 40-yard dash and 36 and 1/2 broad jump, he’ll also be one of the most the most athletic of the receivers who are battling for the spot.
“I feel like I have a great shot at being the third wide receiver for the team and help out as much as possible,” Mitchell said.
Hardaway didn’t drop in the draft himself — he was the NBA’s third overall pick back in 1993 — but he’s seen plenty of basketball players rise from the lower rounds to NBA stardom.
“His talent is second to none, he has the ability to be a superstar in the NFL,” Hardaway said of Mitchell. “As he just continues to maintain his focus, the biggest thing is not getting sidetracked, not doing the things that young people really want to do. Stay away from all of those things, work his butt off, watch lots of film. It didn’t matter where he got drafted, he will have an opportunity to prove himself, for sure.”
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...-mitchell/