Dillon Mitchell (born May 16, 1997) is an American professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

wide receiver for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Oregon and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round, 239th overall of the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

Early years

Mitchell attended

White Station High School White Station High School is a four-year public high school located in Memphis, Tennessee. White Station High is a member of the Shelby County Schools system and is recognized as one of the best high schools in the state of Tennessee. U.S. New ...

in Memphis, Tennessee. As a junior in 2015, he was named first-team All-State selection and district Offensive Player of the Year and also earned the 2015 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Class 6A Back of the Year award. In his senior season, he was named Tennessee’s

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develop ...

football player of the year after he caught 81 passes for 1,484 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the Spartans to a 9-4 record and the Class 6A quarterfinals. He also rushed for 951 yards and 20 more touchdowns on 64 carries. Mitchell also played basketball as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

and ran track for the Spartans. Highly touted as both a basketball and football player, Mitchell committed to the University of Oregon to play

, picking the Ducks over a list that also included Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Cincinnati.

College career

As a true freshman at Oregon in 2016, Mitchell played in six games and had two receptions for nine yards. As a sophomore in 2017, he started 12 games and had 42 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns. As a junior in 2018, Mitchell set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,184 on 75 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He was named the MVP of the

2018 Redbox Bowl The 2018 Redbox Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2018 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with kickoff at noon PST (3:00 p.m. EST). It was one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 ...

. After the season, Mitchell entered the

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Mitchell was drafted in the seventh round (239th overall pick) of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the third Oregon player chosen in the draft and became just the second Ducks receiver drafted in the last 10 years, joining

Josh Huff Josh Huff (born October 14, 1991) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Huff played college football at Oregon. He also been ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019 and was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings on January 13, 2020, and was waived by the Vikings during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020.

Edmonton Elks

On July 29, 2022, Mitchell signed with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Mitchell had a strong rookie season in the CFL, finishing with 35 receptions for 637 yards and four touchdowns. On October 25, 2022, the Elks announced they had agreed on a two-year contract extension with Mitchell through the 2025 season.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bioOregon Ducks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Dillon 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee American football wide receivers Oregon Ducks football players Minnesota Vikings players Edmonton Elks players Canadian football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from Memphis, Tennessee