James Mitchell Seems Like Roster Lock

MLive's Kyle Meinke thinks that Detroit Lions tight ends Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and James Mitchell are roster locks heading into Week 1 of the regular season. And if Brandon Zylstra has a solid training camp, the team could take four tight ends into the regular season. Mitchell is big and physical at the position and has run-after-the-catch abilities. The 23-year-old fifth-round selection last year isn't much of a blocker, so if one of Wright or LaPorta miss time with injury in 2023, he could step into a decent pass-catching role. Mitchell could also see a bigger role if LaPorta struggles with the speed of the NFL game in his first NFL season. Mitchell caught all 11 of his targets in 2022 for 113 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (zero starts).