Mitchell out to enhance pro prospects
Bo Levi Mitchell is going through his progressions.
The problem is, somebody else will pull the trigger.
With the National Football League draft barely three weeks away and his draft prospects uncertain, the former Eastern Washington University quarterback has two more chances to impress pro scouts. The first comes Wednesday in Dallas, at the SMU Pro Day.
On Thursday, Mitchell will fly to Orlando, Fla., for a two-day mini-camp sponsored by the Canadian Football League. He says the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders want to sign him later this month.
The Canadian option is becoming less of a backup plan and more of a reality after Mitchell wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine in February and has been ranked in the mid-20s among draft-eligible quarterbacks – well out of the range of the seven-round NFL draft April 26-28.
That flies in the face of some of his results, including a solid performance at the AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January, and honors that include the Walter Payton Award earned in his final year at Eastern Washington when he threw for 4,009 yards and 33 touchdowns.
“All I can do,” says Mitchell, “is fine-tune things and stay consistent. Keep my arms in the right spot, and do the little things right.”
Much of his time is spent throwing for scouts from both leagues, fielding phone calls, and working on improving his game.
“The main thing is I’m smart, accurate and mobile,” says the 6-foot, 210-pound Mitchell.
He credits much of his success to being a student of the game and “knowing where every person is on the field and where they are trying to get to.”
Mitchell has read scouting reports, which generally mark him down for “marginal height” and “below-average arm speed” – in other words, things that are out of his control.
He gets high marks for his touch-passing, decision-making and accuracy; and for his “ability to avoid the rush,” according to one service, which in the next breath rates his speed as “below average.”
Curiously, his speed is rated “below average” by two scouting services, one of which follows that with praise of Mithchell’s “ability to avoid the pass rush.”
The consensus among scouts is that Mitchell’s skill set is best matched to a West Coast offense in the NFL, or the CFL.
In the meantime, he spends time in Addison, Texas, about halfway between Dallas – where he started his career at SMU – and Frisco, where he led the Eagles to the 2010 Football Championship Subdivision championship.
“I’m sort of settled back in Texas,” Mitchell says. “It’s nice to see the family and hang around a bit and play some golf.”
It’s a comfortable pocket, but one that’s about to move.