Lance Mitchell
2005 · Round 5 · Pick 168 · LB · Arizona Cardinals
Lance Mitchell was born in San Francisco. At Los Banos High School in California he was all-state at both linebacker and running back and ran for more than 3,000 yards as a senior. He signed with Florida, but the SEC ruled him ineligible over a transcript issue. At City College of San Francisco he helped go 24–0 with two state titles. He transferred to Oklahoma in 2002 and led the team with 124 tackles, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-Big 12 honors. A torn ACL ended his 2003 season, and he returned as first-team All-Big 12 in 2004. His 32 tackles for loss rank fifth among OU linebackers. Arizona drafted him in the fifth round, 168th overall, in 2005. He played for the Cardinals through 2006 and later in the Arena Football League. Tulsa World wrote on December 31, 2002: "Lance Mitchell signed a letter of intent with Washington State out of high school." The Oklahoman wrote on April 13, 2002: "Despite advice from friends and family, Mitchell left City College of San Francisco and enrolled at Florida."
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Mitchell | https://soonersports.com/sports/2019/8/13/208798496 | https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MitcLa20.htm | Tulsa World, 2002-12-31, "Fate stepped in for Mitchell" (via NewsBank Oklahoma News Source) | The Oklahoman, 2002-04-13, "Mitchell dials in to Sooners" (via NewsBank The Oklahoman)