Keaton Mitchell
{{Short description|American football player (born 2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Keaton Mitchell
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_team = Baltimore Ravens
| number = 34
| position = Running back
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|1|17}}
| birth_place = McDonough, Georgia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 191
| high_school = Eagle's Landing Christian
(McDonough, Georgia)
| college = East Carolina (2020–2022)
| undraftedyear = 2023
| pastteams =
- Baltimore Ravens ({{NFL Year|2023}}–present)
| status = Active
| highlights =
| statseason = 2024
| statweek = 17
| statlabel1 = Rushing yards
| statvalue1 = 416
| statlabel2 = Rushing average
| statvalue2 = 7.2
| statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 2
| statlabel4 = Receptions
| statvalue4 = 10
| statlabel5 = Receiving yards
| statvalue5 = 121
| statlabel6 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue6 =
| statlabel7 = Return yards
| statvalue7 = 109
| statlabel8 = Return touchdowns
| statvalue8 =
| pfr = MitcKe01
}}
Keaton Anthony Mitchell (born January 17, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Ravens after the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life
Mitchell was born on January 17, 2002, in McDonough, Georgia.{{Cite web |title=Keaton Mitchell |url=https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/keaton-mitchell/123826/draft-profile |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=Pro Football Focus}}{{Cite web |title=Keaton Mitchell Stats, News, Bio |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4596334/keaton-mitchell |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} He is the son of Anthony Mitchell, who played several years in the National Football League (NFL) and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.{{Cite web |last=Igoe |first=Stephen |date=August 7, 2022 |title=Can Keaton Mitchell get even faster? The ECU speedster says he's done just that |url=https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/Article/Keaton-Mitchell-ECU-Football-Speed-Even-Faster-for-2022-Anthony-Mitchell-NFL-191084528/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=247Sports}} He attended Eagle's Landing Christian Academy and helped them reach four consecutive state championships, running for a total of 4,347 yards and 88 touchdowns just during his junior and senior years combined, as they won 54 of 56 games.{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2021 |title=Eagle's Landing Christian grad Keaton Mitchell stars in freshman season for East Carolina |url=https://www.henryherald.com/sports/eagles-landing-christian-grad-keaton-mitchell-stars-in-freshman-season-for-east-carolina/article_0eedb866-5bcd-11ec-8e4d-57fc1059004e.html |access-date=June 10, 2023 |newspaper=Henry Herald}} He was a Class A Private Offensive Player of the Year and Class A Region 5 Player of the Year honoree, committing to play college football at East Carolina (ECU) after his graduation.{{Cite magazine |last=Flick |first=Daniel |date=March 31, 2023 |title=Falcons Host Top-30 Visit with RB Keaton Mitchell; EXCLUSIVE Draft Interview |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/news/atlanta-falcons-draft-visit-keaton-mitchell-east-carolina-top-30-combine-arthur-smith-fit |access-date=June 10, 2023 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}
College career
As a true freshman at East Carolina in 2020, Mitchell appeared in nine games while starting two, and posted 88 rush attempts for 443 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 11 receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown.{{Cite web |last=Boyd |first=Jason O. |date=January 2, 2023 |title=ECU's Keaton Mitchell says he will declare for 2023 NFL draft |url=https://www.wnct.com/sports/ecu-pirates/ecus-keaton-mitchell-to-declare-for-2023-nfl-draft/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=WNCT-TV}}{{Cite web |title=Keaton Mitchell College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/keaton-mitchell-1.html |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} In 2021, he started all 12 games and recorded over 1,000 rushing yards, becoming the first to do so at ECU since Tay Cooper in 2013.{{Cite web |last=Igoe |first=Stephen |date=July 18, 2022 |title=ECU RB Keaton Mitchell named to Maxwell Award Watch List |url=https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/Article/Keaton-Mitchell-Maxwell-Award-Watch-List-2022-Season-190222361/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=247Sports}} He was a first-team all-conference choice and led the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in both total rushing yards (1,132) and all-purpose yards per game (115.83), while additionally placing high in the conference leaderboards in four other statistics. He posted a total of four 100-yard rushing games that season, including a 222-yard performance against Tulane which was the best all-time for an ECU freshman.
As a sophomore in 2022, Mitchell ran for 1,452 yards and scored 14 touchdowns, while being the national FBS leader in runs of more than 10 yards, with 54.{{Cite web |last=Igbokwe |first=Nick |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Keaton Mitchell 2023 NFL draft projection: How high could the East Carolina Pirates RB go? |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/keaton-mitchell-2023-nfl-draft-projection-how-high-east-carolina-pirates-rb-go |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=Sportskeeda}} He ran for over 100 yards in nine out of their 12 games, additionally tallying 27 catches for 252 yards and one score.{{Cite web |last=Munoz |first=Robert |date=February 16, 2023 |title=NFL Draft: Keaton Mitchell A Late-Round Sleeper At RB |url=https://herosports.com/fbs-nfl-draft-keaton-mitchell-rmrm/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=HERO Sports}} He was named an honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and was first-team All-AAC for the second straight year.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/keaton-mitchell|magazine=Sports Illustrated|title=NFL Draft Profile: Keaton Mitchell, Running Back, East Carolina Pirates|date=January 5, 2023}} Mitchell declared for the NFL draft after the season, and finished his stint at East Carolina with 3,027 rushing yards and an average of 6.5 yards-per-carry.
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 5
| height in = 7 7/8
| weight = 179
| dash = 4.37
| ten split = 1.48
| twenty split = 2.52
| shuttle = 4.36
| cone drill = 7.40
| vertical = 38.0
| broad ft = 10
| broad in = 6
| bench = 13
| arm span = 30 3/4
| hand span = 9 1/4
| note = Sources:{{Cite web |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/keaton-mitchell/32004d49-5437-6653-df6c-6e9f57253f37 |title=Keaton Mitchell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |website=NFL.com |access-date=May 4, 2023}}{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1041487&DraftYear=2023 |title=2023 NFL Draft Scout Keaton Mitchell College Football Profile |access-date=May 4, 2023 |website=DraftScout.com}}
}}
Mitchell was projected to be selected in the 2023 NFL draft. He was also selected in the fourth round of the 2023 USFL draft by the New Orleans Breakers.{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Emory |date=February 21, 2023 |title=USFL Draft 2023 grades: Analysis, top picks, player profiles for all eight teams |url=https://www.cbssports.com/usfl/news/usfl-draft-2023-grades-analysis-top-picks-player-profiles-for-all-eight-teams/ |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=CBS Sports}} On May 5, 2023, Mitchell was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Clifton|title=Ravens Announce 18-Member Undrafted Rookie Class|url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/ravens-announce-18-member-2023-rookie-class|website=BaltimoreRavens.com|access-date=May 7, 2023|date=May 5, 2023}} Pro Football Focus considered Mitchell to be one of the ten best undrafted free agent signings from the 2023 NFL Draft class.{{cite web |last1=Macri |first1=Jonathan |title=2023 NFL Draft: Ranking the 10 best UDFA signings |url=https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-draft-ranking-the-10-best-udfa-signings |website=Pro Football Focus |access-date=May 7, 2023 |date=May 3, 2023}} On August 29, 2023, the Ravens announced that he had made the initial 53-man roster, but he was placed on injured reserve two days later.{{Cite news |last=Mink |first=Ryan |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Undrafted Rookies Keaton Mitchell, Malik Hamm Make Ravens' 53-Man Roster |work=BaltimoreRavens.com |url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/keaton-mitchell-malik-hamm-ravens-roster-53-undrafted-rookies-2023 |access-date=December 22, 2023}}{{Cite news |last=Mink |first=Ryan |date=August 29, 2023 |title=10 Takeaways From Ravens' Initial 53-Man Roster |url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/takeaways-ravens-roster-cuts-53-man-2023 |access-date=2024-06-02 |work=BaltimoreRavens.com}}{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Clifton |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Ravens Bring Back Josh Johnson, Brent Urban, Kevon Seymour; Send Three to Injured Reserve |url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/johnson-seymour-urban-mitchell-hamm-williams-injured-reserve-53-man-roster |access-date=2024-06-02 |work=BaltimoreRavens.com}}
Mitchell was activated off of injured reserve on October 14,{{cite web|title=Keaton Mitchell Activated to Face Titans|url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/keaton-mitchell-activated-titans-week-6|author=Brown, Clifton|website=BaltimoreRavens.com|date=October 14, 2023}} and made his NFL debut the next day against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, playing exclusively on the special teams in the 24–16 win.{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Joshua |date=October 16, 2023 |title=Ravens Week 6 Rookie Report: Zay Flowers finally reached the end zone, Keaton Mitchell makes debut |url=https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2023/10/16/23917623/ravens-week-6-rookie-report-zay-flowers-keaton-mitchell-makes-debut-tavius-robinson-trenton-simpson |access-date=October 16, 2023 |website=baltimorebeatdown.com}} In Week 9, he ran for 138 yards on nine carries and scored his first NFL rushing touchdown (he also recorded a -4 yard reception) in a 37–3 rout of the Seattle Seahawks. His performance earned him the FedEx Ground Player of Week Award.{{cite web |title=FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Week |url=https://www.nfl.com/voting/air-and-ground/2023/ |website=nfl.com |publisher=NFL |access-date=November 8, 2023}}
During the Week 15 23–7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mitchell injured his knee in the fourth quarter after being tackled by Jaguars' safety Andrew Wingard. Mitchell was immediately ruled out and carted back to the locker room for further evaluation. After the game, it was announced he fully tore his ACL and would miss the rest of the season. He was placed on injured reserve on December 19.{{Cite web |last=Hensley |first=Jamison |date=December 18, 2023 |title=Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell has full ACL tear, source says |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39141287/ravens-rb-keaton-mitchell-full-acl-tear-source-says |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=ESPN.com}} He finished his rookie season with 47 carries for 396 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in eight games and two starts.{{Cite web |title=Keaton Mitchell 2023 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MitcKe01/gamelog/2023/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}
On July 15, 2024, Mitchell was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.{{cite web | last=Mink | first=Ryan | title=Keaton Mitchell Placed on Physically Unable to Perform List | website=Baltimore Ravens| date=2024-07-15 | url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/keaton-mitchell-pup-list-baltimore-ravens-news-running-back | access-date=2024-10-14}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Clifton |date=August 27, 2024 |title=Ravens Make Cuts, Set 53-Man Roster |url=https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/ravens-53-man-roster-cuts-2024-pepe-williams-devin-leary-dayton-wade-anthony-miller-qadir-ismail |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=BaltimoreRavens.com}} He was activated for Week 10.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| Bold
|Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="5"| Receiving ! colspan="2"| Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | {{abbr|GS|Games started}} | {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} | {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} | {{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per reception}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest reception}} | {{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Fum|Fumbles}} | {{abbr|Lost|Fumbles lost}} |
| 2023 || BAL
|8 || 2 || 47 || 396 || 8.4 || 60 || 2 || 9 || 93 || 10.3 || 32 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2024 || BAL
|5 || 0 || 15 || 30 || 2.0 || 7 || 0 || 1 || 28 || 28.0 || 28 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MitcKe01.htm Career]
!13 | 2 | 62 | 426 | 6.8 | 60 | 2 | 10 | 121 | 12.1 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
= Postseason =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="5"| Receiving ! colspan="2"| Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{abbr|GP|Games played}} | {{abbr|GS|Games started}} | {{abbr|Att|Rushing attempts}} | {{abbr|Yds|Rushing yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest rushing attempt}} | {{abbr|TD|Rushing touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Rec|Receptions}} | {{abbr|Yds|Receiving yards}} | {{abbr|Avg|Yards per reception}} | {{abbr|Lng|Longest reception}} | {{abbr|TD|Receiving touchdowns}} | {{abbr|Fum|Fumbles}} | {{abbr|Lost|Fumbles lost}} |
| 2023 || BAL
|2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | |||||||||||||
| colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MitcKe01.htm Career]
!2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{footballstats|yahoo=40641|espn=4596334|nfl=keaton-mitchell}}
- [https://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/players-roster/keaton-mitchell/ Baltimore Ravens bio]
- [https://ecupirates.com/sports/football/roster/keaton-mitchell/12046 East Carolina Pirates bio]
{{Baltimore Ravens roster navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Keaton}}
Category:American football running backs
Category:Sportspeople from McDonough, Georgia
Category:East Carolina Pirates football players
Category:Players of American football from Henry County, Georgia