Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was one of the fastest wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft, and one of its fastest fallers.
Mitchell’s slide ended in the second round Friday when the Indianapolis Colts selected him 52nd overall. Many had seen him being a candidate for a late first-round pick, but he wound up being the 11th wide receiver taken.
Judging from what he had to say with Colts reporters, Mitchell was expecting to be a first-round pick too:
Adonai Mitchell starts off his first Colts interview in an interesting way.
“I’m just kind of pissed.”
He doesn’t seem very happy with how the draft has played out, but he said he’s grateful to the Colts and ready to get to work.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) April 27, 2024
Mitchell entered the draft after one season at Texas, where he transferred after two seasons as a secondary weapon at Georgia. He developed into a high-speed weapon in Austin opposite the even speedier Xavier Worthy, posting 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
That was a solid enough base, but then Mitchell impressed with his athleticism during the pre-draft process. He was always seen as a high-upside prospect and his measurables backed that up with a 4.34 40-yard dash and 11-foot, 4-inch broad jump. Yahoo Sports ‘ Nate Tice ranked him as the No. 24 prospect in the draft, though he noted his “discipline and effort still have room for improvement.”
Some NFL decision-makers apparently had similar concerns, though Colts general manager Chris Ballard strongly disagreed later Friday in a profane rate about anonymous reports criticizing Mitchell as a bad interview with teams:
“I read some of the bulls*** that was said on TV, just the typical f***ing — excuse my language — our typical league. Unnamed sources, bad interview, that’s such bulls***. It f***ing is. It’s bulls***. Like, put your name on it. I’m tired, we tear these young men down. These are 21, 22-year-old men and if people out there can tell me they’re perfect in their lives, it’s crap. It’s crap.
“This is a good kid and for those reports to come out, I said it last year. It’s bulls***. I’m sorry, I apologize for the language. I don’t, but I do.”
Mitchell at least found a nice landing spot with Indianapolis, where he’ll join a young and talented offensive core that already features Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. He also clearly has a GM willing to stick up for him.