Donald Mitchell (American football)

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Donald Mitchell
No. 30
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1976-12-14) December 14, 1976 (age 47)
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Beaumont Central (TX)
College:Southern Methodist
NFL draft:1999 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:44
Games started:12
Interceptions:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Donald Roosevelt Mitchell (born December 14, 1976, in Beaumont, Texas) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Southern Methodist University.

Early years[edit]

Mitchell attended Beaumont Central High School. He played cornerback and was an All-District selection as a senior. He also practiced track and baseball.

He accepted a football scholarship from Southern Methodist University. As a sophomore, he started 6 games at cornerback. As a junior, he became a regular starter at cornerback, collecting 45 tackles and 3 interceptions.

As a senior, he registered 74 tackles, 16 passes defensed, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. He had 13 tackles against the University of Mississippi. He finished his college career after starting 26 out of 41 games, while making 160 tackles, 6 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and 4 forced fumbles.

Professional career[edit]

Tennessee Titans[edit]

Mitchell was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft.[1] As a rookie, he earned the position of nickel back and appeared in all 16 games, tallying 7 tackles, one pass defensed, 19 special teams tackles (fourth on the team), one blocked kick and one returned interception for a touchdown. The Titans would eventually make it to Super Bowl XXXIV, where they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams.[2]

In 2000, he suffered a torn right ACL during a practice and was placed on the injured reserve list on August 22.[3][4] In 2001, he appeared in 12 contests, missing the final 4 games with a sprained right knee, while making 25 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 13 special teams tackles and one blocked kick.

In 2002, he started 9 games at right cornerback in place on an injured Samari Rolle and was able to play through ankle and knee injuries.[5] He posted 51 tackles, one interception, 8 passes defensed, 2 quarterback pressures, 11 special teams tackles, 3 recovered fumbles and one forced fumble. In February 2003, he underwent arthroscopic surgery in one of his ankles. During his time with the Titans he was also a core special teams player.

Dallas Cowboys[edit]

On March 20, 2003, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, with the intention of playing him at the nickel back position.[6] He suffered a serious left high ankle sprain in the final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders and was placed on the injured reserve list on August 31.[7] He was released on August 31, 2004.[8][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. ^ "Super Bowl XXXIV Team Rosters". sportspool.com. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Pickens Is Added To Titans' Arsenal". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Transactions". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "Mitchell To Start In Place Of Rolle". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "After Losing Coles, Jets Sign Conway To Three-year Deal". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "Setting Roster Intrigues, Infuriates Cowboys' Parcells". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "Baltimore Signs Sanders For Depth In Secondary". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "Cowboys release nine, put DiNapoli on PUP list". August 31, 2004. Retrieved March 5, 2018.