20 Under 25 Rankings: #5 – Malcolm Mitchell

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TURNS 25: JULY 20, 2018
FINAL RATING: 7.3

Old and injury prone. Those were the raps on Mitchell last year when he came out of the University of Georgia as a soon-to-be 24-year-old wide receiver. Everybody loved his character, though, and they all knew how productive he was early on as a Bulldog before two knee injuries waylaid his chances at being a first-rounder. Beyond that, he had long arms and massive hands for a guy who’s barely 6-foot. So the Patriots took him in the fourth round and it wasn’t long before all of Mitchell was on display.

A nice, charming, smart kid, he made some incredible plays in training camp and preseason, then got hurt, dislocating his elbow while struggling for extra yards in a preseason game. But he made it back for the opener -- testimony to his toughness -- and over a late-season stretch has shown a knack for making contested catches in hazardous areas, has earned the trust of Tom Brady and is the best rookie receiver the Patriots have had since Deion Branch came aboard in 2002.

Mitchell, who’s also a tenacious blocker, has 32 catches on 48 targets for 401 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. During a five-game stretch against the Niners, Jets, Rams, Ravens and Broncos, he made 22 catches and scored all four of his touchdowns.

After years in the desert trying to get it right when drafting receivers, Mitchell’s been an oasis for the Patrriots in 2016.

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