A lot of Detroit Lions fans were surprised when the team selected Virginia Tech tight end James Mitchell in Saturday’s fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. It turns out Mitchell was surprised too.
The No. 177 overall pick didn’t expect the Lions to select him so high. Based on his limited interactions with the team, Mitchell thought it was more likely he was going to sign with the Lions after the draft if he didn’t get picked.
“Actually, I talked with them a little bit at the Combine,” Mitchell said when asked about what interactions he had with the Lions before the draft. “Besides that, it was more they had talked with my agent about maybe getting something done after the draft if I wasn’t selected. When they called me right there toward the end of Round 5 and said they were going to take me, I was pretty shocked.
Mitchell added, “Very grateful and excited to go there and just get started.”
So was the message to Mitchell’s agent a smokescreen pulled off by the Lions front office? The rookie thinks it might have been.
“It might’ve been. If it was, it worked,” Mitchell said. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just blessed. I’m happy. I’m happy to be a part of the Lions.”