Why the Slide?: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas

This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”

Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.

Over the run-up to the 2024 NFL Draft, it was common to see Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell projected to go in the back half of the first round. Mitchell was a big-play weapon at both Georgia and Texas during his collegiate career, showing off an excellent skill set of size, speed and athleticism for the NFL. There were plenty of evaluators and media analysts who felt Mitchell had No. 1 receiver potential for his pro offense. Thus, it was a surprise to some when Mitchell slid out of the first round and well into Round 2 before getting drafted.

In speaking to team sources, the major issue that hurt Mitchell was the makeup portion of the evaluation. He had issues at Georgia and Texas that hurt him with NFL teams, and multiple sources said Mitchell’s mismanagement of his type 1 diabetes was a problem for them. Throughout the league, sources felt that Mitchell was talented, but a number of them said their teams did not want to add him to their locker room and deal with the personality issues.

The Indianapolis Colts ended Mitchell’s slide in the second round, which was a mixed landing spot. On the positive side, Mitchell can compete immediately to be a starting outside receiver across from Michael Pittman Jr. Mitchell will have to beat out veteran Alec Pierce, who has flashed at times but has yet to become a consistent producer at the pro level. If Mitchell focuses on learning his playbook and manages his diabetes well, he could beat out Pierce before too long. On the negative side of the landing spot, the Colts will be a ground-based offense that features Jonathan Taylor and running quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson also has been very streaky with his passing accuracy, so that could be an issue that holds back the Indianapolis receivers. Pittman is the No. 1 wide receiver as well, so Mitchell will have to make the most of his opportunities when they come his direction. From a skill-set perspective, Mitchell could be the most talented wideout on Indianapolis’ roster. If Mitchell focuses on making the most of his NFL career with cutting out the make-up issues and the mismanagement of his diabetes, he could be a very good pro wide receiver for the Colts.