Tevin Mitchel has quite a lot of experience around him at the cornerback position, and he's using the veterans' collective knowledge to help get his NFL career off on the right foot.
Sure, veteran acquisitions like Chris Culliver at cornerback and Jeron Johnson and Dashon Goldson at safety grabbed offseason headlines, but rookie Tevin Mitchel believes he, too, can make an early impact for the Redskins.
Where exactly does he fit in, though?
That remains to be seen, but the Arkansas product is making sure he'll be ready for whatever opportunities are presented to him.
"I'm learning the defense well, taking it day by day, and interacting with the other DB's," Mitchel told Larry Michael, Voice of the Redskins. "We're coming together as a team, and we're getting better overall. I don't like to talk about I, but I feel like I've only been knowing these guys for two or three weeks but I feel like we're going to do great things on and off the field."
Mitchel was drafted by the Redskins in the sixth round of the draft, one of two defensive backs taken that round along with safety Kyshoen Jarrett.
His college career was full of both ups and downs, as he excelled during his sophomore season before struggling his junior year.
That left him unsure of his future, weighing the possibility of redshirting in 2014.
But he not only decided to play during his senior season -- many SEC teams became weary of throwing in his direction.
"I challenged him," said Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema in a story by ESPN’s John Keim. "If you come back, let's submit ourselves. You have to believe in yourself and family and Christ. He came back Full Metal Jacket Private Pyle. He came back going hard, everything from A to Z doing things right: changing his stance, changing his demeanor and mentality. Everything he did made him better."
A native of Arkansas, Mitchel said it meant a lot to play for the state's land-grant university.
"You know growing up in Little Rock, Ark.,I always watched the Razorbacks," he said. "That was my dream team. That was a goal of mine to go and play for the Razorbacks, and I made that come true. It was a blessing to be a part of that program."
During his draft process, Mitchel said several teams reached out to him about the possibility of joining their team, including the Redskins, who were "real high on me."
"It was just a great feeling to get the call," Mitchel said reflecting back on his draft day experience. "When it comes to the NFL draft you never know what's going to happen, never know what round, what pick, so you just have to be patient and wait for your call. Like I said before I'm just absolutely blessed to be here with the Washington Redskins, and it's an honor to be here."
RELATED LINKS:
-- Tevin Mitchel Answered Senior Year Challenge
-- Nine Redskins Draft Picks Agree To Terms
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