Insider Names Colts' Talented Receiver as 2025 Breakout Candidate

One prominent Indianapolis Colts wide receiver missed out on touching the end zone this season. His name? Adonai Mitchell.
Mitchell did not have a hot start to his NFL career after the Colts drafted the young pass catcher out of the University of Texas last spring. Mitchell was meant to bolster Indy's receiving corps and bring competition to the locker room.
Mitchell ended the 2024 regular season with 23 catches hauled in for 312 yards on 55 targets. That 41.8% catch rate ended as the lowest in the league out of receivers with at least 50 targets. When you pair that with zero touchdowns, it could be hard for some to buy Mitchell's remaining stock.
AD Mitchell is having such a great bad rookie season. No touchdowns. Horrific 42.6% catch rate. 312 yards in 16 games. And yet, the man is always open. Always. Open fucking always.
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 30, 2024
Bradley Locker at Pro Football Focus thinks the opposite. Locker sees Mitchell as an "early breakout candidate" for the 2025 season.
"Colts receivers were responsible for the 10th-worst drop rate this past year, and Mitchell (14.8% drop rate) was a major culprit," said Locker. "But the Texas product actually got open a substantial amount, as reflected by his 75th-percentile separation rate and 96th-percentile separation percentage against single coverage."
Mitchell's route-running ability earned him a high draft selection. Coming out of college, it looked like nobody could hang with the young receiver in one-on-one situations. In his final year at Texas, he tallied 55 receptions for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in only 14 games.
"Even when he was open, either drops or overthrows seemed to inexplicably plague Mitchell, but his route-running talent is too great to abandon hope," concluded Locker.
AD Mitchell ranked 1st in the NFL in Average Separation Score heading into week 10
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) November 11, 2024
Look how WIDE OPEN he is on all of these receptions..
He set career highs in:
➖Snap Percentage (94%)
➖Receptions (6)
➖Yards (71)
..he also ranks 1st in the NFL in Target Rate Vs. Man (52.4%) pic.twitter.com/rTGA6HwdlZ
Quarterback Anthony Richardson did miss a few throws when it came to targeting Mitchell. There were times when Mitchell was wide open, but the two couldn't connect. Another offseason together should help that issue, but only time will tell how Mitchell fares in the Colts' offense.
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