Mitchell was born in Columbus, Texas and played scholastically at Bay City High School.
[1] He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders,[2] where, as a senior, he was honored by Gannett News Service (GNS) as a second-team All-American.
[3] Mitchell was selected in the second round of the 1987 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.
[4] He appeared in eleven games his first year, and the first three of the next, before being traded to the Phoenix Cardinals for Leonard Smith.
[6] Mitchell was with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1990 season, and then spent four years with the Green Bay Packers to finish his career.