Lauren Ceballos/Sports Editor

USD redshirt senior, Re-Al Mitchell, is currently preparing for the 2024 National Football League (NFL) Draft.

Mitchell recalled the start of his journey with football when he “came out of the womb,” but he didn’t officially start playing until he was about four years old. From flag football to tackle around the age of seven, it all started with making obstacle courses to practice for the game with his dad.

Mitchell was born and raised in Eastvale, CA, commuting to St. John Bosco high school before graduating early to then attend Iowa State University for over two years which he claimed were the best of his life. From Iowa State, Mitchell transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, where he earned his degree in psychology. When deciding where to play next, Mitchell landed upon the University of San Diego and recently finished his second season as a Torero.

Originally, when deciding where he would go for college, Mitchell turned down an offer from his dream school, the University of Oregon, as a sophomore in high school to play defensive back because he would not be a quarterback. He then proceeded to play at Iowa State as backup to current San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Brock Purdy, which Mitchell proudly claimed.

Mitchell is a wide receiver here at USD and has earned career highlights including 2022 All- PFL First Team (All-Purpose) and 2022 Second Team Academic All-PFL, known as a “Triple threat of passing, rushing and receiving,” according to USD Athletics. 

“I came to USD with aspirations to play quarterback here. But during fall camp, I wasn’t really getting all the reps I would foresee getting, so I just met with the coaches and I was like, ‘hey, just let me get on the field and where I can,’” Mitchell said. 

Now, Mitchell is marketed for the NFL draft as an all-purpose player. He also described the benefits of the different roles that he has played on the field. 

“Now, I just use my quarterback brain out of the box, you know, seeing the field into my certain role, and it’s honestly like a cheat code,” Mitchell described. 

Mitchell always knew he had the skill to get to the NFL, but the idea of the draft did not become a reality until recently. 

“After my first season at USD, I started getting some attention and some emails from certain teams and stuff like that. People were asking me, was I coming back or was I gonna leave, and I was like ‘what are you talking about, I’m not that good,’ or so I thought,” Mitchell remarked. 

Now more than ever, Mitchell is working to achieve his end goal, the NFL. One major component is tackling the right headspace. 

“It’s a process. Everyday I’m working out, whether it’s working out from a mental standpoint or it’s drawing out plays, making sure when I do have interviews with teams, [that] I know what I’m talking about, watching every clip from the past two seasons. To make sure again, if I get questioned about it,” Mitchell said. 

Another step in the process is “Pro Day,” which is a day where scouts come to campus and see how well athletes perform certain events.

“The biggest event is the 40 yard dash, that’s the money maker. If I run fast, which I will… a lot of this is geared toward that, and so I’m working with our strength coach here to help prep me for that and then just eat the right things, recover and sleep… so it’s basically like the life I was living before, but I had school, but now I don’t have school, [due to years of eligibility]. So it’s even better, because now it’s all football stuff,” Mitchell shared.

With all these moving parts, Mitchell shared how he navigates the playing field.

“You really need to stay focused and in your lane. If you start looking at other things people are writing about you, whether good or bad, that could be a detriment and then also there are a lot of people who have aspirations to playing the NFL, but there’s only so many spots so if you get in your head about that, that can be discouraging. So it’s really just trying to take it hour by hour everyday, trying to maximize that hour. And you know, when it’s all said and done, I’m confident that I’ll be able to do enough to get the opportunity and take advantage of the opportunity and [take] advantage of the opportunity at the next level.”

Mitchell also shared that he was always a college football fan growing up, so he does not have “allegiance to an NFL team.”

“I don’t have anywhere specific in mind… I’ll be happy with that opportunity. And I’m just trying to take advantage of that opportunity while I’m there.”

Mitchell discussed what his plans are for the future. 

“Even if I don’t get drafted, I will still sign somewhere as a free agent [a player who is eligible for the draft but not selected]… so I don’t know where I’m going, day three [of the draft] regardless, but I would like a call, and I would like my close friends and family to be around,” Mitchell said. 

Mitchell expressed how he fuels himself to keep going and how he got to where he is today, thanks to his discipline, family, friends, coaches and God. 

“Thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I was able to lean on Him, and He was able to uplift me and keep me afloat throughout everything, and I was able to learn so much through that… definitely give praise to Him,” Mitchell expressed. 

Re-Al Mitchell is ready to see what is going to happen next and doing the preparation to hope that all ends in his favor, achieving every football player’s dream: making it to the NFL. 

The 2024 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25-27 in Detroit, MI at Campus Maritus Park and Hart Plaza. The Draft originated in February of 1936, first held at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. Players used to be scouted through newspapers and word of mouth. Now, eligible football players for the draft are denoted by “four years of college eligibility,” according to NFL.com and awaiting a call in the late days of April.

Mitchell pictured on the field during his first season as a Torero.
Photo courtesy of @usdfootball/Instagram