Davon Mitchell

I love @Matt Burns Ben Watson comparison and I think it’s closer in terms of what his role will be but when I watch Davon’s feet up close in the 1v1 Camp content, and look at his size/length, he is a mirror image of Antonio Gates with more strength and versatility as a blocker. Gates had more fluidity as a route runner but I think Mitchell has what it takes to develop in that area.

Watching tape from camp, I can’t help but notice how little his ankles collapse under his size during acceleration. This is a very good thing. It’s why (as @Chris Mason mentioned in our Twitter space today) he has such good burst off the LOS.

The reason I believe his route running will get better is because he already shows to have a great feel for space, field geometry but has quite learned how to sell the nuances (shoulders, eyes, hands) in a way that will easily beat bigger, faster defenders at the D1 level. That being said, it’s the type of thing that I think he develops rather quickly since the physical, genetic gifts are already present.

I also mentioned how I don’t see his weight really changing a whole lot. In fact, he may go down a few pounds when he gets to Norman.

His hands seem enormous on tape and it really shows with his ability to catch the ball. This was a player OU is fortunate to now have in the class and someone who I think will be a star as a Sooners

Grading him out, he is a first round talent that needs polishing in the details. In the right system, he’s a player who catch 4-6 balls per game and throws up an occasional 10 catches for 175, but can still get his hands dirty and be willing to block for his teammate. My question is what does he take more pride in after arriving to Norman and will he demand catches ahead of some of the other talent OU will have catching passes as well.

Fantastic addition by the staff.