As the kickoff to the 2015 Iowa Football comes closer, during the month of July we will profile a key Hawkeye player each day. We call this series, Key Hawkeyes, as we try to identify and rank the most important players on the roster for the upcoming season.

This will be a ranking based on how important they will be to the Iowa team this season. That ranking is arrived at based on their position on the depth chart, expected and past production, and their importance to the Iowa team.

We move on with our rankings with #30 on our list.

Coming out of Vashon High School in St. Louis, Derrick Mitchell Jr. was put in the athlete category by Rivals.com. The simple reason was he did a little bit of everything at that level. He played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and saw time on the defensive side of the ball as well. The only thing he didn't do was sell popcorn in the stands.

Mitchell arrived in Iowa City and found his first home at wide receiver. He redshirted as a freshman and then last season saw very limited action in six games and did not catch a pass. What he did do during last season was impress the Iowa coaches on scout team as a running back. Iowa was looking for someone who could emulate Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and according to the defensive coaches, he made life difficult for them during their prep work and that eventually led to Mitchell getting a look this spring at running back.

Thus far the move has worked out very well for Mitchell and the Hawkeyes as he was very impressive this spring showing a nice burst and a good feel for running the football in Iowa's scheme. In the final spring practice, Mitchell ran for 53 yards on seven carries and moving forward he's found a new home in the backfield moving forward.

Mitchell is still down the depth chart a bit and is certainly behind Jordan Canzeri and LeShun Daniels at this point, but he's going to battle Akrum Wadley for playing time at running back. It will be interesting to see what kind of a role the Iowa offensive staff can find for Mitchell because they need him. The offense needs playmakers and getting him on the field, even for spot duty, should be a priority this season. It will also be interesting to see if they can find a role for him catching the ball out of the backfield or perhaps returning kickoffs, where his skill set could be of use.

NEXT UP: A safety is emerging from western Iowa.