Mitchito Owens Biography

As the NFL playoffs get underway, Mitch Owens will be keeping a closer eye than most.

Owens is the first cousin of Bears punter Tory Taylor, who has enjoyed a breakout season with the NFL side and will again feature on Monday as the Bears face the LA Rams in the divisional playoffs.

"We're a very close family and we always had Christmas together growing up and with a big family that was always fun," Owens said.

"We text a bit and he came down to the Saints last year and he was keen to get into some goalkicking stuff. When he was over at our place for a family dinner, I chatted to him for hours about goalkicking and he actually came down for two or three sessions. I didn't give him any tips, but he gave me a few."

Mitch Owens injures his shoulder in a pre-season match against Port Adelaide. Scan results show no serious damage, but further assessment is required to determine when he can return to the side.

"Mitch's shoulder joint is stable, but his AC joint copped a knock in the incident," Saints footy boss Dave Mission said.

"The scans this morning were promising, but we'll seek further advice from specialists to help assess the best course of action from here."

Mitchito Owens makes his AFL debut for St Kilda at Docklands Stadium with 6 disposals (2 kicks and 4 handballs), a mark and 2 tackles in a 17-point loss to Collingwood.

St Kilda select Mitchito Owens with pick No.33 in the 2021 National Draft.

Draft Report: A member of St Kilda's Next Generation Academy, Owens has taken giant strides forward with his game this year. After a poor under-16s campaign, he was cut from the Sandringham Dragons program and he was not part of the initial Vic Metro squad this year. However, some good form in the NAB League resulted in a late call-up for Vic Metro's Challenge Match against Vic Country in July and Owens delivered an outstanding performance with 29 disposals, seven marks and a goal to put himself firmly on the draft radar. The Dragons believe Owens has been their most improved player this year, despite his limit matches. A tall wingman or half-forward, Owen's mother was born in Japan, qualifying him for the Saints' NGA program which he has been part of since under-15s. Owens has good agility and speed and is a strong overhead mark.