Louisiana football loses two of its most productive running backs in program history this weekend to the NFL - Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell.
Mitchell is an Erath product, and from one small school to another, his journey has all been about proving doubters wrong.
"Coming from a small school like Erath. That really motivated me," he said. "Just seeing people like man, he a 3A school. We don't know if he's going to make it. That's been burning in my heart."
In four seasons with the Cajuns, Mitchell rushed for more than 3,200 yards, sixth most in school history. His 41 touchdowns is fifth most.
"I just want to prove people wrong. Even though I went to a small level. I can still play at a high level. At the end of the day it's football. I know what I can do," he said.
In college hate was fuel to the fire. But as he turns to the NFL, Mitchell is now driven by love. The 22-year-old is the father of two boys, Emerson and Elliot, and they serve as his daily motivation.
"Becoming a father, that changed a lot for me," he said. "Like I say, that wasn't about me anymore. I had to sacrifice a lot of things but I enjoyed it. Anytime anything gets hard, no matter what I'm going through, I think about my boys."
Mitchell had an impressive Senior Bowl week and ran a blazing 4.38 at Louisiana's Pro Day. Now the Erath native could hear his name as early as the third round. For Mitchell, that moment will be further proof that he's built to last.
"Just watching the previous drafts and stuff. Watching people cry and everything. I picture myself doing the same thing because you worked for it. It's like, it's finally coming to reality for me and I can't wait," he said.
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