Cameron Mitchell can Play "Anywhere in the Secondary" According to Northwestern Teammates
"I think it is up there with Denzel Ward and some of the good corners," is what Northwestern cornerback Evan Smith said when describing Browns rookie Cameron Mitchell's potential in the NFL. "He's almost like Jalen Ramsey, not as big but that type of impact I feel that he can have on a team. I think he adds a lot more depth than people are really realizing."
The Browns added additional depth to their cornerback room by way of Mitchell, one of the premium positions general manager Andrew Berry consistently emphasizes, in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
On the field, Mitchell is a talented cornerback who has the ability to break up any pass thrown in his direction.
"The first thing that people are going to notice when he gets there is his footwork," Nigel Williams, one of Mitchell's teammates at Northwestern, said. "He's got some of the best feet that I've seen and he's just a real technician, with him in man coverage and how he goes through drills."
Standing at 5-foot-11, 191 pounds Mitchell has the physical traits needed in order to succeed in the National Football League. Pairing that with his technique when covering receivers, Mitchell has all of the tools at his disposal.
"One most notable features is just his size," AJ Hampton, another one of Mitchell's teammates from Northwestern said. "Cam does a really good job of shutting down one side of the field. The way he studies the game, and you can tell in his technique which really allows him to dominate to the boundary, eliminate a lot of routes."
The Browns have been known for taking players in the draft who can play multiple different positions on the football field and Mitchell is no different.
"You can put him anywhere in the secondary. I remember last year, we used him at pretty much every position in the secondary and our coaches really trusted him, Smith said. "I think that speaks to his ability knowing each position and being able to go do that on the field, I think that is really what set him apart."
The Browns have been in need of a slot cornerback since trading Troy Hill. Last season, Cleveland utilized multiple players for the slot position, including Greg Newsome ll. Newsome made it clear he did not enjoy that spot on the field, and felt he was better primed to play on the outside. Insert Cameron Mitchell?
"I think Cam can 100 percent go in the slot, Hampton said. " Early on in his career in 2020 or 2021 I think, we played Nebraska and he played a lot of nickel and in the slot. Cam has really good feet, he's really patient and is going to be hands-on. If there's a spot open at nickel, I think he's one of the best guys you can get honestly, if not the best."
Newsome and Mitchell have been friends since their pre-teen days. They were teammates at Northwestern and will now be in the same position room in Cleveland. The moment Newsome and Mitchell's former teammates found out they would be together once again, it immediately brought joy to the room.
"We were playing basketball, me and a couple other corners, and someone told us that he got drafted there and we all yelled first, then we realized it was the Browns and he'll be with Greg again," Smith said. "We are excited for him and it's gonna be fun to have two of the same guys, the same position who grew up together now being able to play professional ball. It's pretty cool for everyone to see."
"They are the same two peas in a pod," Hampton said when describing Newsome and Mitchell's relationship.
Off the field, players love to be around Mitchell and is a really "chill" guy, according to his teammates.
The Browns are getting a solid person on and off the football field, something Cleveland is always looking to add to the locker room.
"When I first started playing and he has been the leader of the room for a minute now, he was talking about always be ready when your number is called. That was one thing that he would really mention to us. I thought it was really cool how he would always tell this story how his first snap of college football was fourth-down and goal, he was 18-years-old, against a sold out Nebraska crowd in Lincoln. He was just kind of thrown in there and I thought that was an interesting story about him being able to relate that to us. That just shows his confidence is at a whole other level being able to come in there on fourth-down and goal in front of 100,000 people and be able to execute at 18-years-old."
Even though Mitchell was a fifth-round pick and there's zero guarantee he'll see the field a lot in 2023, it shouldn't take long for the coaches to realize what they really have in him.
"I can tell you one thing, he's a hard worker, Williams said. "He's going to work his ass off to be able to get on that field as soon as possible. It's going to be hard keeping him off the field, I'll tell you that."
