Malcolm Mitchell is putting himself in pretty good standing with the New England Patriots even before the first official practice of the season.
It has been reported that he will skip out on an endorsement opportunity, a way to make some quick money. His reason is simple: study up on the playbook.
Of course, the Patriots have a tough playbook to master and for Mitchell to see any time on the field this season, he will need to know it all by the time camp starts. For wide receivers, the playbook is especially difficult because it goes without saying that the Patriots are a passing team. But on top of that, figuring out where to line up every time and running the proper route is not exactly easy.
A fourth round draft pick, Mitchell could contribute to the Pats this season as he is a route runner as opposed to a slot guy, something the Pats already have a few of already. There already seems to be an affinity for Mitchell because of his style of play with reports saying he was a good fit for the Patriots just around the time of the draft.
Certainly, he has to be an upgrade over Brandon LaFell as a deep threat. But then again, LaFell was a bigger threat to the Patriots than he was their opponents. That’s usually the case when a guy drops a lot of balls.