the draft. Kiper ranked him the fourth-best wide receiver in the draft on April 2. In his April 10 mock draft, Kiper projected Mitchell to be drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 24th overall selection. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ranked Mitchell as the sixth-best wide receiver in the draft. Mitchell hired Tom Condon of IMG Football as his agent leading up to the draft. Philadelphia Eagles 2001 season Mitchell was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round (25th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was the fifth wide receiver taken in the draft. He worked out with his new quarterback Donovan McNabb in Arizona and Los Angeles before mini-camp started. Because of NCAA rules regarding graduation, Mitchell was unable to attend the Eagles' mini-camp until after UCLA's senior class graduated. He studied the Eagles' playbook in the meantime. He asked the NFL for an exemption, but the league refused, and he arrived for his first practice on June 18, 2001. Mitchell signed a five-year, $5.5 million contract with the Eagles on July 26, in time for the start of training camp. During training camp, Mitchell practiced as a backup behind James Thrash and Todd Pinkston. Special teams coordinator John Harbaugh asked Mitchell if he was willing to practice as a kickoff returner in practice, but Mitchell declined, citing the fracture of his femur on a kickoff return in college. Nonetheless, he still practiced on the kickoff coverage team, and on the punt coverage team as a gunner. Mitchell suffered a hip pointer during the morning session on July 31, but returned for the afternoon session without limitation. A hamstring injury limited him at the end of training camp. Before the start of the 2001 season, head coach Andy Reid said, "Mentally, [Mitchell is] right there. He's picked everything up, he's a smart kid. He's wide-eyed, ready to learn. He's done a nice job when he's been in there." Mitchell began the season as the team's fourth wide receiver behind Thrash, Pinkston, and Na Brown. Mitchell's difficulty in learning the complex playbook, as well as the lingering hamstring injury, limited him in the Eagles' first six games of the season. In his first career NFL game, a week one matchup against the St. Louis Rams on September 9, Mitchell played in a few snaps but was not thrown to. Mitchell was listed as "questionable" due