Coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Mitchell is "making a lot of plays" at OTAs, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 the Fan reports.
It sounds like the rookie second-round pick is getting a lot of first-team reps, in part because top wide receiver Michael Pittman has been out with a minor knee injury. Wearing a No. 10 jersey to signify the number of WRs drafted before him this spring, Mitchell has taken advantage of the early opportunity by catching a number of passes from starting QB Anthony Richardson. Still, it's unclear if Mitchell will head into Week 1 as a depth/rotation receiver or if he'll immediately supplant Alec Pierce as a starter alongside Pittman and slot man Josh Downs. There's also the question of how different that role might look if/when Mitchell replaces Pierce, as the latter was targeted on just 10.2 percent of his routes last year -- easily the the lowest rate in the league among regular starters at wide receiver.
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Colts' Adonai Mitchell: Indy ends slide in second round
Rotowire
The Colts selected Mitchell in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 52nd overall.
Mitchell (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) was almost universally expected to go much earlier than this, as the former Texas and Georgia receiver dazzled at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.34-second 40-yard dash, 136-inch broad jump) following a productive end to his Longhorns career (55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns on 92 targets in 2023). Mitchell drew fewer targets at Texas than first-round pick and fellow wideout Xavier Worthy, and that might be evidence of a potential target cap with Mitchell in the NFL as well. However, at the very least, he should prove an explosive No. 2 receiver even if he never turns into a 100-catch player. He'll need to compete with 2022 second-round pick Alec Pierce and 2023 third-round pick Josh Downs for snaps before any such breakout occurs, though.
