Tusculum College tight end Lorenzo Mitchell finds benefits from his family’s pro football past.
He also finds inspiration in the aftermath of family tragedy.
Mitchell, a 2011 Bartlett graduate, now hopes to realize a dream by making an NFL rookie camp through the draft or free agency.
“Over the years since high school, and even since junior college, my game has evolved toward balance,” Mitchell said. “And I think that’s what is getting me noticed by NFL teams.
“The dream is to get drafted, but the goal overall is getting in camp somewhere to show what I can do.”
At last month’s NFL regional combine in Eden Prairie, Minn., Mitchell displayed impressive hands and a solid 32 1/2 -inch vertical leap. He chatted with representatives from the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.
“My 40(-yard) times were only 4.98 and 5.08 (seconds), but I was running with turf toe,” Mitchell said. “So it kept me from getting a push.
“When I ran pass routes, this wasn’t as much a factor, and they saw better playing speed.”
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Mitchell probably generated attention regardless of his 40-yard time because pro lineage tends to leap out at scouts.
Mitchell is the cousin of cornerback Walt Harris, the Bears’ 1996 first-round pick who played 193 games in the NFL. His uncle is former Oakland Raiders and New York Giants safety Johnnie Harris.
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“I was so young when they went through it, and don’t remember much about it,” Mitchell said. “This process has changed a lot since they did it, but they gave me advice on what to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say. It’s helped.”
Another cousin weighs heavily on Mitchell’s mind.
In December, Mitchell expected to receive a ride from the airport from his 32-year-old cousin, Matthew Herring, upon returning from workouts after the National Bowl. That postseason college all-star game in Daytona Beach, Fla., featured top players from non-FBS schools.
But before then, someone walked up to Herring while he was working on a car on Chicago’s South Side and shot him in the head. Herring was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Homicide Watch Chicago blog.
“Right outside his home,” Mitchell said. “It’s been the hardest tragedy ever in my life to deal with. He was such a positive soul, a great guy. He’d baby-sat me since I was born.
“It was very hard for my family. I’m pushing hard in his memory, and so in the future my family won’t have to be in an environment where this happens.”
Mitchell’s career took extra turns following high school.
After a junior college season at North Dakota State College of Science, Mitchell played two years for Division II Winona State. He transferred again for a final season at Tusculum, a small, private Division II school in Greeneville, Tenn.
“I really loved it at Tusculum,” Mitchell said. “I enjoyed their offense more, put my hand in the dirt and was a true tight end and receiver.”
Winona State relegated Mitchell to blocking, and he realizes it rounded out his game.
“In high school, I wasn’t a good blocker,” Mitchell said. “Winona helped me be physical and tougher. I’m glad I could start putting people on their butts for my teammates.”
Odds against Division II players making NFL rosters are always long.
Yet draft analyst and former Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel suggests tight ends with multiple skills are always needed.
“Colleges aren’t turning them out,” Gabriel said. “They’re worth their weight in gold.
“Being able to flex out or block in-line is why everyone covets Alabama’s O.J. Howard so much.”
One draft rumor website placed Mitchell on a Patriots watch list. Even with his cousin on the Bears, Mitchell’s favorite team was the Patriots.
“It made me smile,” Mitchell said. “It would be an honor to put on that uniform — really, any NFL uniform.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2