Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has impressed ever since he was drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. The sure handed wideout has not disappointed this offseason, turning heads of his teammates and coaches. And on Sunday evening in training camp, Mitchell hauled in yet another remarkable grab from Anthony Richardson.
Mitchell’s short area quickness and ability to create separation in a very short amount of time really jump off his game film when he was with the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns. In 103 targets the past two seasons, Mitchell only dropped the football once. That gives him the lowest drop rate (0.97%) of any wide receiver that saw 100 or more targets the past two years.
More on the rookie wideout and his college career
He was selected with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Mitchell started off the first two seasons of his college career at Georgia, playing in 21 games with 15 starts where he caught 38 passes for 560 yards and seven touchdowns for the back-to-back national champions. Playing his best football in the postseason for the Bulldogs where he had eight catches for 148 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s four College Football Playoff games.
He transferred to Texas ahead of the 2023 season where he earned the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award and was named an All-Big 12 Second-Team selection. Recording 55 receptions, 845 yards and, 11 receiving touchdowns that tie for fifth-most in a season in program history.
Mitchell played high school football at Cane Ridge High School in Antioch (TN) where he was a four-star prospect, ranked the No. 302 overall recruit and the No. 45 wide receiver in the country in the 2021 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Adonai Mitchell
There’s no doubt that Adonai Mitchell has the size and athleticism for the NFL at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. But being an impact player at the next level takes more than that. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Mitchell’s game to another former Bulldog, Pittsburgh Steelers wideout George Pickens. Who both possess the ability to create jaw-dropping plays with their physical abilities.
“Ascending prospect with size, speed and ball skills to become a very good NFL receiver, but he’s still in the process of bridging those traits,” Zierlein said. “Mitchell can beat press and has the speed to take the battle to the third level but he’s still learning the art of bullying the catch space in tight quarters and jump-ball battles.”
“He’s not always a natural hands-catcher, but his ability to snare balls outside his frame is top-notch. His route running currently lacks focus and consistency, but agility and burst out of breaks will not be an issue. Mitchell is rugged after the catch and has the ability to become a winner on all three levels. The difference between becoming a WR2 or WR1 could rest on his urgency and willingness to go to work on the unpolished areas of his craft.”
On3’s Kaiden Smith also contributed to this article.
