NFL Draft: NFL teams sniffing around PSAC QB Noah Mitchell
Blip. Blip. Blip.
Round and round, the NFL radar screen circles continuously in search of the vast array of eligible prospects. The wide scope is being condensed down quickly as the late April deadline for selecting players approaches. Several teams have heard a ‘ping’ resonating from California.
Not the west coast of California, but the city of California, about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh. I heard through the grapevine California (PA) quarterback Noah Mitchell has made several ‘pings’ on the NFL radar screen as of late. Immediately, it sent me hunting down Mitchell myself to find out more about this DII quarterback, resonating a ‘ping’ on the draft buzz radar.
The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound quarterback broke every passing record at Cal and established himself as a legitimate prospect on the fridges of the NFL radar. Passing for nearly 11,000 yards (10,788) and 88 touchdown passes.
Despite his PSAC success, this Euclid, Ohio native wasn’t heavily recruited. A preferred walk-on offer to the University of West Virginia and Akron were the only DI offers he received. Every DII school in Ohio was also interested in his ability, but Mitchell chose the Milford Academy, a preparatory school, for entrance into Yale University.
“Cal was pretty much the only school to give me the opportunity in the middle of the semester,” Mitchell said, the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year in 2021.
That allowed Mitchell to arrive during spring ball and get a firm grasp of the Vulcans' offensive scheme. The early entry paid huge dividends for Mitchell and the football program. He arrived at Cal in the spring of 2018 and was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors that same year.
“A lot of that goes to Coach (Chad) Salisbury. He knew the plan for me once I committed,” Mitchell said. “He saw the commitment in me when I enrolled early in the program. He stuck with me and continued to groom me. Breaking every record at that school. I appreciate him a lot. He made it an easy transition.”
His next transition is finding his way into the National Football League if things go according to plan. Not exactly an easy road to travel coming from the DII level and playing quarterback. Mitchell has several Pro Day opportunities to showcase his skills with an outside shot at the chance to throw at a big-time program in Pennsylvania. That remains speculative as the Pro Day tide washes in and out invitations.
“I’ve made tremendous leaps and bounds through my draft prep process,” Mitchell said during his time training at Grossetti Performance in New Castle, Pennsylvania. “Shocking myself with some of the numbers I’ve put up in my forty, my L-drill and my vertical.”
That athleticism was something that went largely unnoticed during Mitchell’s time at Cal. The program shied away from having their star quarterback in harm’s way. The Vulcans wanted Mitchell to maximize his check down. It coincides with his amazing durability throughout his college career.
“Having the confidence to go touchdown to check down,” Mitchel said. “I have no problem going through every read. If it just isn’t there, then going to the check down has never been a problem for me.”
Mitchell’s thorough decision-making is one of the best NFL qualifiers up to this point. A patient pocket passer with the size, he possesses nice timing and anticipation. It has gotten him noticed by more than a few NFL teams.
“Going to the Dream Bowl and having an interview with the Ravens out there,” Mitchell said, who started every single game at quarterback Cal, a mark of 43 straight games. “It made everything feel validated. It made everything feel worth it. Made everything feel like I’m on the right path.”
In addition to Baltimore, the Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders have also sniffed around this DII prospect with a DI frame. Plenty of DII players make it in the National Football League, but the quarterbacks are often disregarded.
Small-school and DII are interpreted very differently amongst NFL evaluators. Fewer than 2% of roughly 45-50 former DII players are active on current NFL rosters. However, I found zero active DII quarterbacks on any rosters in the NFL.
It’s unimaginably hard but not impossible.
A little over a decade ago, another PSAC quarterback named Trevor Harris from Edinboro flirted with NFL rosters. Harris has been on both the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad as well as the Buffalo Bills since going undrafted in 2010. A two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winning, Harris is currently playing in the CFL and is a two-time winner of the Grey Cup.
In 2018, Luis Perez began a nearly identical path as Harris. Another Harlon Hill Trophy winner who played DII football at Southwestern College in California had stints on several NFL teams' practice squads. He is the current quarterback for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.
Mitchell ‘pinged’ and that at this point in the NFL Draft process, that’s all a small-school prospect can hope for. NFL teams are aware of his ability, and like both Harris and Perez, he might find himself battling for the final roster spot or practice squad spot on an NFL roster.
Imagine how many prospects out there in the DII universe never ‘ping’ on the NFL radar. That alone is enough for anyone to pat themselves on the back.
If things work out right for Mitchell, his name will be on the back of an NFL jersey when he receives that pat on the back.
