Colts Rookie Receiver Considered 'Steal of the Draft'

The Indianapolis Colts had plenty of things to be excited about after finishing the 2023 season with a 9-8 record. However, while the defense needed a bit of depth and skill, the offense was missing more firepower from the pass-catchers to take the next step in becoming a contender in the AFC.

Now in the 2024 off-season, the Colts have Anthony Richardson ahead of schedule with shoulder recovery and another weapon for the young field general to throw to. Indianapolis felt that the perfect name to put into their receiving corps for Richardson to work with was Texas Longhorn standout receiver Adonai Mitchell. In a piece from Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, he breaks down the best position fits from the 2024 NFL Draft, and Mitchell finds his name at arguably the league's most important position outside of quarterback and offensive line.

Mitchell's landing with the Colts at No. 52 could go down as the steal of the draft. Indianapolis already has a true “X” receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. and a reliable slot receiver in Josh Downs. The Colts were missing a vertical threat as the final puzzle piece of their 11 personnel (three wide receivers) sets. They filled it with a 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver who runs a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and jumps out of the gym with much better route running than most players his size. Yeah, consider me excited about that.
Trevor Sikkema; Pro Football Focus

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Mitchell is not the most experienced draft receiver but showed enough during his time with Georgia (2021-2022) and Texas (2023) to convince Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard that he is the guy to help Richardson. Mitchell possesses fantastic athleticism, size, and technical abilities to help a quarterback like Richardson with nearly any throw. However, it's not just Richardson who will benefit from Mitchell's presence. The rest of Indy's pass-catchers also have a chance to mesh with Mitchell and form a potent unit in the NFL.

Adonai Mitchell was drafted in round 2 pick 52 in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 3402 WR from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/t32le05j0m pic.twitter.com/oMybFeWJpp
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2024

Names like Michael Pittman Jr. (109 catches), Josh Downs (68 catches), and Alec Pierce (32 catches) needed more help in 2023. With the type of skill set that Mitchell has, he has the potential to be the missing piece the Colts offense needs. During his three campaigns in college with Georgia and Texas, Mitchell grabbed 93 catches for 1,405 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns (11 in 2023), doing his notable damage last year.

Mitchell has a bright future in Indianapolis. There also may not been a better fit in the league than Steichen's offense for the former Longhorn. He also has a chance to work with receiver's coach Reggie Wayne, who showed the talent to help Downs hit the ground running in 2023. It's still too early to nail down confident predictions given how unpredictable the NFL is, but the Colts haven't looked this explosive and exciting in quite some time, and the league is taking notice. We'll see how it all shakes out during the upcoming off-season for Indianapolis.

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