The Indianapolis Colts have had enough of Adonai Mitchell’s free fall in the NFL Draft. With the No. 52 pick, Indy selected the wide receiver from Texas, injecting him into what is quickly developing into a dynamic collection of offensive talent headlined by rising second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Throughout the pre-draft process, the Texas receiver generated buzz in the first round, particularly with taunts knocking him off the board in the back half of the first round. However, with more than a dozen picks made on Day 2, Mitchell was still available. That included three teams choosing to take other wideouts instead of Mitchell. The Buffalo Bills used the top pick on Day 2 (33rd overall) to draft Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman, while the Los Angeles Chargers added Georgia’s Ladd McConkey at 34th overall and the Patriots selected Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk 34th overall. 37.
So what happened? Following his selection, NFL Media reported that Mitchell’s pre-draft experience was a bit rocky. He reportedly didn’t interview well and teams weren’t able to get a good feel for him, which contributed to his stock dropping. However, Colts general manager Chris Ballard flatly rejected the idea.
“It is such [bullshit]” said Ballard. “I mean, it’s [f—–g] East. It is [bullshit]. Like, put your name on it. We are tearing these young men down. They’re 21 or 22 year old men and if people can tell me they’re perfect in their lives, that’s bullshit. It’s shit. He’s a good boy and for these reports to be published, I said last year, it’s [bullshit]”.
Mitchell began his college career at Georgia as a three-star recruit. He was with the Bulldogs for two national championships before transferring to Texas before the start of the 2023 season. With the Longhorns, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound wide receiver had a breakout season, catching 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns. This helped him earn second-team All-Big 12 honors and was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Indy drafted its franchise quarterback last year in Richardson and ensured it would retain its top pass-catching option, Michael Pittman Jr., by giving him a three-year extension earlier this offseason. Despite Pittman and promising second-year receiver Josh Downs, adding more weapons to the offense for their young quarterback made sense heading into Day 2, especially since they were in an AFC South increasingly competitive. Now, Mitchell fills that void.
