Georgia Football: Malcolm Mitchell Wise to Get a Tuneup at Wide Receiver

Malcolm Mitchell burst onto the scene last season as a freshman, catching 45 passes for 665 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman for the Bulldogs.

But his impact will be a little different for Georgia in 2012.

The 6'1", 191-pounder made the move to cornerback this offseason—a position he played in high school—due to suspensions, transfers and dismissals in Georgia's defensive backfield. He is not listed anywhere on the offensive side of the ball on Georgia's preseason depth chart.

He will be there soon enough, though.

According to Seth Emerson of The (Macon, Ga.) Telegraph, Mitchell has been working with the receivers at times lately and running routes after practice.

"But when I look at the receivers, I know I'm gonna be back over there eventually," Mitchell said. "Or I'll be doing both. So as long as I can do both, it doesn't matter how much or which one I do."

That's a smart move by Mitchell and the Georgia coaching staff.

It was assumed that Mitchell would shift back to wide receiver as the season progressed and suspensions are lifted, particularly the two-game suspension to starting cornerback Sanders Commings.

Using the end of preseason camp to get re-acclimated to the offensive side of the football is a wise move for Mitchell.

No matter how good he was last season, he will still need to knock the rust off when he moves back to the offensive side, and doing it during the preseason is better than doing it during on game week.

Commings will be out for Georgia's Week 2 matchup at Missouri. If there's anything we know about the Tigers, it's that they can move the football. So cornerback will probably be Mitchell's primary responsibility for that game.

But expect Mitchell to start migrating over to the offensive side of the football during Georgia's Week 3 matchup vs. Florida Atlantic. 

That migration will be smoother now that he has used the end of fall practice as a tuneup at wide receiver.

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