Ravens breakout candidate earns strong endorsement from his position coach in overlooked factor that is usually key to more playing time
Keaton Mitchell may ultimately end up being a key role player for the Ravens in 2025. His growth in one underrated area is key to expanding his menu.
Life as an NFL running back has its ups and downs. On one hand, the only people who get to touch the football more than a primary running back throughout the course of a game is usually the center and the quarterback. And there’s plenty of yards and touchdowns to boot. But earning opportunities to get on the field requires a lot more of the grit and dirty work that comes without the football. And for the Baltimore Ravens and young running back Keaton Mitchell, there’s reason to believe that the growth is taking place.
Mitchell’s position coach, Willie Taggert, spoke to the media on Wednesday and gave Mitchell a big vote of confidence for how far he’s come in one of the most unglamorous elements of the position — protecting the quarterback in the passing game.
Keaton Mitchell showing major growth in the hidden role of an NFL running back
“(Mitchell) is much better, much better…he wouldn’t actually do that a lot in college, and now, you have a better understanding of how to do it now. Now, he’s doing it with great technique and with confidence, and that’s more than anything. (When) you’re blocking in the NFL, you have to have confidence, and he’s able to do that now, and he can have confidence because he knows what to do. He knows the play. He’s not thinking a lot. He can go out and just play, and that’s development. He’s developed to become a better pass blocker as well.”
— Ravens Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Willie Taggert on Keaton Mitchell’s growth in pass protection
Mitchell has one Derrick Henry firmly planted in front of him on Baltimore’s depth chart. But with Mitchell healthy this season and poised to return to the form of his rookie season in 2023, being a more well-rounded and mature player sets the stage for someone who could feasibly be a primary option for a spell if the Ravens needed him to be.
It’s the silver lining that comes with Mitchell’s season-ending injury late in 2023, as he was given more time to digest the role of a back away from the football. As Taggert points, out, he didn’t get a lot of run in this regard at East Carolina. In his final season with the program, Mitchell was credited with 61 pass protection opportunities and credited with 10 pressures. That’s far too inefficient to earn trust to help protect the franchise in Lamar Jackson — so the extra time on task to allow the role to be more natural to him here in Baltimore could be a major development for a promising young running back to make another leap in 2025.
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