Quinyon Mitchell grinned when he was asked who he thought was the best player ever from the MAC. To him, the answer was simple.
The Toledo cornerback was speaking to media at the NFL Combine, and while soft-spoken, his confidence was apparent. With every opportunity to showcase his talents this offseason, he has continued to bolster his case for being a top-15 overall pick when the NFL Draft happens in April.
That’s despite being from a Group of Five conference. With every passing season, talent in college football continues to gravitate toward the Power Five conferences. Athletes believe NFL scouts will more seriously consider them if they’re playing in those leagues, and the advent of the transfer portal makes it easier than ever to find a spot with one of those programs.
But Mitchell and the several other prospects from the G5 proved at the NFL Combine, Senior Bowl, and Shrine Bowl just how much skill still resides in those leagues.
In fact, Mitchell believes the MAC’s greatest of all time just finished his collegiate career.
“The greatest player?” Mitchell responded. “Probably Quinyon Mitchell.”
Quinyon Mitchell Representing The Group of Five
At this year’s NFL Combine, 27 Group of Five prospects were in attendance. And several of them have stood out.
Mitchell has certainly risen above the rest. Many believe he will be the first MAC player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since former Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis went to the Tennessee Titans fifth overall in 2017.
“I represent the MAC with my whole heart,” Mitchell said. “I love guys from other teams. I just want to represent the MAC well.”
Mitchell, a HERO Sports G5 All-American, isn’t just a top-tier MAC player, though. NFL Draft experts believe he’s a top-tier player, period.
He competed well at the Senior Bowl going up against Power Five wide receivers. But he also displayed uncanny athleticism at the NFL Combine.
The 6-foot, 195-pound prospect was second among cornerbacks and third among all position groups with a 4.33-second 40-yard dash. He also led all corners with 20 reps in the bench press.
That’s led to him shooting up draft boards. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, for example, has Mitchell going to the Las Vegas Raiders 13th overall in his latest mock draft.
Mitchell alone proves that a G5 prospect can garner draft buzz.
“I feel the Group of Five just nationally is disrespected,” Mitchell told HERO Sports at the NFL Combine. “The NFL isn’t made of solely Power Five guys. It’s guys in Group of Five doing their thing all across the country, so shout out to those guys, too.”
Group of Five Players At The NFL Combine
Mitchell wasn’t the only Group of Five athlete to take the spotlight at the NFL Combine.
Seven G5 players were in the top 10 at their respective positions in the 40-yard dash. And 14 G5 players were in the top five at their positions in at least one of the measurable drills.
Former Colorado State EDGE Mohamed Kamara was one of the winners among the Group of Five prospects at the combine. His 4.57-second 40 was third among defensive ends while his 23 bench press reps tied for fifth and his broad jump of 10 feet, 3 inches tied for sixth.
At 6-1, 248 pounds, Kamara isn’t the biggest front-seven player NFL teams will consider. But thanks to his solid tape at the Shrine Bowl, those teams know how he can play when lined up across from Power Five prospects.
“If you’re good, they’re going to find you,” Kamara, who was in the top three in the FBS with 13 sacks a season ago, said. “I feel like there’s a stigma behind (the Group of Five). But I feel like the people who actually watch football or the people who actually coach football understand my game, too. I’m here for a reason. Regardless of it was Group of Five, we’re here for a reason. And there’s a few guys who are from a Group of Five (conference) and are here, and they can rock with the best.
“I was at the East-West (Shrine Bowl) and I did my thing over there. And those are, quote unquote, bigger names, too. So it didn’t really bother me. There’s only me, a blocker, and a quarterback. So I don’t care what team you came from. You’re going to have to stop me at the end of the day.”
Historically, some NFL Hall of Famers have graduated from Group of Five schools. But even more recently, some have thrived quickly at the pro level.
Sauce Gardner, a former Cincinnati cornerback who played in the AAC, went fourth overall to the New York Jets in 2022. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pro team in both of his first two seasons.
Michael Pratt, Tulane’s former quarterback who was the AAC Player of the Year this past season, told HERO Sports he thinks the Green Wave prepared him well to be a pro. He’s viewed by many as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in this year’s class.
“I think one of the biggest things is who you are as a person,” Pratt said of how Tulane helped set him up for where he is now. “Coach (Willie) Fritz did a really awesome job of bringing great people into that program and really creating a culture. And everybody at this level is really talented, but it’s kind of the intangibles that keep you around and put you to the next level. So I think just kind of polishing those things and establishing who I am as a person, how I can help my teammates no matter what my role, however I can elevate the people around me, be an asset to the locker room, are things that I think are sometimes overlooked at this level because everybody is really talented.”
Troy edge rusher Javon Solomon led the FBS with 16 sacks last season. But even as a first-team G5 All-American, he pointed out how important an invite to the Senior Bowl was for him.
His performance there, as well as his showing at the combine which included top-five finishes in the vertical (37 inches) and bench press (23 reps) for his position group, showed he’s still plenty worthy of draft consideration.
He’s not the only G5 prospect that could be drafted, and he won’t be the last.
“I think Troy was the perfect spot for me, being in the Sun Belt,” Solomon said. “Great competition. I think it’s kind of underrated how much talent is truly in the Sun Belt now. To be able to go down on a platform such as Troy and to be able to do what I did, I feel like people kind of try to put that under the rug just because it’s Group of Five. But like I said, there’s great people there. There’s great O-linemen, there’s great quarterbacks. There’s just great talent in total.”
