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Indianapolis Colts 2024 rookie review: WR AD Mitchell

With the Indianapolis Colts on their bye week, let’s take a look at how the 2024 rookie class has performed. Up next is WR AD Mitchell.

With the Indianapolis Colts on their bye week, let’s take a look back at how their 2024 rookie class is performing, up next is second-round pick AD Mitchell.

If you missed our review of Laiatu Latu, click here.

PFF grade: 59.2
Rank among rookie WRs: 10th/16
Rank among all WRs: 94th

Stats to know: On the season, Mitchell has caught 20-of-42 targets (47.6%) for 254 yards at 12.7 yards per catch. Most of his snaps have come on the boundary but he has played about 28% of his snaps from the slot as well, mostly when Josh Downs has been out of the lineup. Dropped passes have been an issue at times. His drop rate of 13% is the 13th-highest among receivers.

Breakdown: Mitchell’s talent is evident. With his combination of athleticism and route-running abilities, he’s a very difficult matchup, who is able to create separation and win at all levels of the field. We often see this on throws in his direction where he has space to make plays.

However, like many first year players, Mitchell is battling the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level, which has resulted in inconsistent play. In addition to the drops, he and Anthony Richardson frequently weren’t on the same page early on this season.

With that said, we have certainly seen growth from Mitchell as the year has progressed. Without Michael Pittman against Buffalo, Mitchell caught all six of his passes for 71 yards. From Weeks 9-12, he caught 9-of-10 passes for 136 yards–although he had a crucial dropped pass recently against New England.

The up and down play from Mitchell has resulted in inconsistent playing time, which includes him oftentimes getting out-snapped by Ashton Dulin and playing around 12ish snaps per game.

It’s a bit of double-edged sword for the Colts–if they play Mitchell, they have to be ready for some inconsistencies. But if they don’t play Mitchell regularly, then the team is elongating his rookie learning curve. Like any young player he needs reps. I certainly don’t expect Mitchell to be out-snapping Pittman, Downs or Alec Pierce, but for a passing game that could use more juice, I’d like to see him get more than 12 snaps per game over the remainder of the regular season.

What WR coach Reggie Wayne said about Mitchell: “He just needs more snaps,” Wayne said in November. “It’s no different than when I was a rookie. I just needed more snaps, I needed more opportunities to go in there and do it and that’ll come, that’ll come with time.”

Even with Michael Pittman back, Colts need to make sure AD Mitchell isn’t forgotten

Even with Michael Pittman back against the Jets, the Indianapolis Colts need to make sure that AD Mitchell isn’t forgotten about.

After missing last week’s game against Buffalo, Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiver Michael Pittman will be back on the field versus the Jets after a full week of practice.

To state the obvious, that’s great news for the Colts’ passing game that is in need of a boost. However, even with Pittman back in the mix, Shane Steichen can’t forget about AD Mitchell either.

Without Pittman available last week, Mitchell played 60 of the team’s offensive snaps. He then made the most of that opportunity, posting a career day with six receptions for 71 yards. Mitchell also drew a holding penalty in the red zone that extended the drive and eventually resulted in seven points.

Even before this performance, you could tell that Mitchell was trending in the right direction. After catching just two of his first 13 NFL targets to start the season, from Weeks 5-9, Mitchell caught 10-of-15 passes for 108, including three receptions of at least 15 yards.

But up until last week, the playing time wasn’t available for Mitchell. From Week 3 through the Minnesota game in Week 9, he was averaging just over 12 snaps per game, often being out-snapped by Ashton Dulin.

With Pittman returning, no one is expecting Mitchell to out-snap him, Josh Downs or Alec Pierce. However, he needs more opportunities than just 12 snaps.

For one, from a development standpoint, like any young player, Mitchell needs reps, something receivers coach Reggie Wayne pointed out last week. Yes, there may be ups and downs as is the case for many rookies, but the lack of playing time is only elongating Mitchell’s learning curve.

In addition to that, for an offense that needs more juice, Mitchell can provide that. His combination of athleticism and route running ability allows him to create separation from the defenders and make plays at all levels of the field.

With Mitchell on the field, that means one of Pittman, Pierce, or Downs will likely have to come off with how often the Colts use three receiver sets. But having options, regardless of the position is a good thing, now it’s up to Steichen to figure out how to get each player the appropriate amount of playing time.

In a much larger role, Colts WR AD Mitchell has career day vs Bills

In a larger role with Michael Pittman out, Indianapolis Colts rookie WR AD Mitchell has a career day vs Bills.

Without Michael Pittman in the lineup, the Indianapolis Colts relied much more heavily on rookie receiver AD Mitchell, who took full advantage of the opportunity.

After averaging just over 12 snaps per game from Weeks 3-9, which included a season-low of five against Minnesota last week, Mitchell was on the field for 60 offensive snaps.

He finished the game catching all six of the passes thrown his way for 71 yards–both of which are now career highs. Mitchell also drew a defensive holding penalty in the red zone that gave the Colts a fresh set of downs, that they then turned into seven points.

“It definitely felt good to be able to convert when the opportunities came,” Mitchell said after the game via Colts.com. “But kind of like a regular day, to be honest, was how it felt.”

The start of the season was slow for Mitchell, who would catch only two of his first 13 targets, with him and Anthony Richardson often not on the same page. As of late, however, he had been trending in the right direction, catching 10 of his 15 targets for 108 yards during Weeks 5-9.

Since the day Mitchell arrived in Indianapolis, his athleticism and ability as a route runner have been evident. His ability to create separation from the defender is impressive, and when done consistently, it’s only a matter of time before the production will follow.

Like just about any young player, Mitchell is navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level, resulting in up-and-down play. But in order to work through those growing pains, what Mitchell needs is reps, as receivers coach Reggie Wayne said recently.

Up until Sunday’s game against the Bills, as noted, Mitchell’s playing time has been sporadic, with him often being out-snapped by Ashton Dulin.

Sure, Dulin brings a level of stability right now that Mitchell may not, but for an offense with a struggling passing game and one that needs more juice, that has to change going forward.

Mitchell isn’t going to be out-snapping Pittman or Alec Pierce or Josh Downs, but he needs a defined role moving forward and more than 12 snaps a game. That is only going to help expedite that learning curve, and as we saw on Sunday, he’s ready for it.

Larger role incoming for Colts’ rookie WR AD Mitchell with Michael Pittman out

With Michael Pittman ruled out against the Bills, Colts’ rookie WR AD Mitchell should have a larger role on Sunday.

With Michael Pittman out for Sunday’s game against the Bills, presumably, that means more opportunities for Indianapolis Colts rookie receiver AD Mitchell.

“Just gotta pick up the slack,” said Josh Downs about Pittman’s absence. “Me, Alec, AD–really AD. He going to be playing a lot more. We just gotta step up to fill the void.”

It was a slow start to the season for Mitchell, who caught only two of his first 13 targets, with him and Anthony Richardson often not on the same page.

From Day 1, the athleticism and route-running talent that Mitchell possesses were evident. However, like many rookies, he is navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL level.

However, over the last several games, Mitchell has been trending in the right direction. Since Week 5, he has caught 10-of-15 passes for 108 yards, including three of those receptions going for at least 15 yards.

But even so, Mitchell’s playing time has been sporadic, with him averaging just over 12 snaps per game since Week 3, including a season-low of five against Minnesota, with Ashton Dulin often out-snapping the rookie.

Sure, Dulin and his experience brings stability and reliability to the position, but Mitchell’s upside and potential is much higher. With or without Pittman in the mix, for a passing game that needs more juice, Mitchell needs more snaps.

“I don’t know about right around the corner,” said receivers coach Reggie Wayne when asked if Mitchell was about to take off. “He just needs more snaps. It’s no different than when I was a rookie. I just needed more snaps, I needed more opportunities to go in there and do it and that’ll come, that’ll come with time.”

While up and down play should still be expected, the fewer the snaps Mitchell sees each week, the longer the learning curve is going to be. As Wayne said, he needs more reps to work through the growing pains.

Awaiting the Colts’ passing game is a Bills’ defense that has been one of the best at forcing takeaways this season. Buffalo also ranks top 10 in yards per pass attempt allowed and have surrendered the third-lowest explosive pass play rate among all defenses.

Success for the Indianapolis offense is going to begin with getting Jonathan Taylor and the run game going against a defense that ranks 26th in yards per rush allowed.

“He’s up for the challenge,” added Wayne. “He’s up for the task. He’s ready whenever we need him to, but it’ll come around. I mean, he’s had, in my opinion, three great weeks of practice, so hopefully it will translate to the game.”

A larger role incoming for Colts rookie WR AD Mitchell

With Michael Pittman reportedly sidelined for a few weeks, a larger role is likely incoming for Colts’ rookie AD Mitchell.

With the news that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman is going to miss multiple weeks with a back injury, a much larger role is coming for rookie AD Mitchell.

Pittman would miss Wednesday’s practice and following that initial injury report being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Pittman was going to miss some time, which could include him being placed on injured reserve.

So, at receiver now for the Colts will be Josh Downs in the slot, Alec Pierce out wide–as was already the case–and it will be Mitchell opposite of Pierce.

You can see right away the explosiveness and route-running abilities that Mitchell possesses, allowing him to create separation. However, through five games, that hasn’t resulted in production.

Mitchell has been targeted 20 times on the season, catching only six of those passes at a modest 11.7 yards per catch.

In some instances, there have been off-target throws from the quarterback or the two not being on the same page. There’s also been some drops from Mitchell and some routes that haven’t been finished.

“He’s a young player who’s sort of working through running those routes–running really good routes, getting open a lot of times,” said Jim Bob Cooter about Mitchell on Tuesday. “He’s made some nice catches over the middle but we’re just sort of all working as an offense to make the most of every opportunity that we have. We will obviously coach our guys along that way.”

Mitchell began the season taking the bulk of his snaps from the slot with Downs out. Once Downs returned, Mitchell’s role was reduced. He played just 20 total snaps in Weeks 3 and 4, although he saw more opportunities in Jacksonville with 19 snaps in that game.

The talent with Mitchell is evident, but like any young player, he’s navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level. The best teacher is always going to be experience, which Mitchell will likely get a lot more of in the coming weeks.

Collectively as an offense, the Colts have shown the ability to hit on the explosive pass plays but need to continue improving on the short to intermediate throws to help them sustain drives. Big plays are great, but it can’t be an offense’s primary path for moving the ball either.

In addition to Mitchell seeing more snaps, I would also expect Ashton Dulin to get added opportunities as well. That way as Mitchell continues to develop, he doesn’t have to shoulder the entire workload that comes with not having Pittman.

Reduced role for Colts rookie WR AD Mitchell vs. Bears

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver AD Mitchell saw a reduced role on Sunday against the Bears.

If you noticed during Sunday’s game against Chicago that Indianapolis Colts’ rookie receiver AD Mitchell wasn’t on the field as much as he had been, you were right.

After playing 29 snaps in Week 1 against Houston and then 33 snaps in Week 2 against Green Bay, Mitchell was on the field for just seven snaps versus the Bears. He finished the game with one target and no receptions.

Now, there are a few reasons for Mitchell’s reduced role. One is that Josh Downs was back after being sidelined for the first two games.

In Downs’ absence, Mitchell–along with a few other contributors–shouldered the workload from the slot. However, with Downs back on the field, those slot opportunities just weren’t available to the same extent as they had been.

On top of that, it’s been a rocky start for Mitchell. While his upside his sky-high and we see flashes of it, he’s still a first year player navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level.

On 10 targets this season, he and Anthony Richardson haven’t been on the same page, with Mitchell catching only two of those passes. Alec Pierce, meanwhile, has caught 9-of-13 passes for 225 yards and two scores.

Lastly, this was a run-heavy game for the Colts with a lot of two tight end looks, which means having only two receivers on the field.

It also meant the receivers had to do a lot of blocking, in which case the Colts favored Ashton Dulin in some of those instances with him playing 14 snaps. The blocking component is a part of that overall learning curve he’s working through.

For the time being, this may be the role that Mitchell finds himself in as he continues to get acclimated and the Colts continue to (hopefully) lean heavily on the run game.

However, as we also saw during his one target on Sunday, Mitchell has the ability be a downfield threat, and in the previous two games has shown the ability to separate, which will continue to earn him some shot-play opportunities.

Colts rookie WR AD Mitchell narrowly misses out on big debut

Indianapolis Colts rookie WR AD Mitchell narrowly missed out on a big debut against the Texans.

Indianapolis Colts’ rookie wide receiver AD Mitchell narrowly missed out on a big performance in his NFL regular season debut.

Mitchell was a popular target of quarterback Anthony Richardson, who threw at him five times. Unfortunately, the two connected on just one of those passes for only two yards.

Two near misses would have drastically changed Mitchell’s stat sheet, however.

Facing a first-and-10 at the Houston 29-yard line, Mitchell was able to get behind cornerback Derek Stingley, but Richardson’s pass landed out of the end zone.

Then, later in the game, Mitchell was able to get open down the right sideline, but Richardson just missed him, on what would have been a 50-plus yard play.

This was very close to being a three catch, 85 yard, and two touchdown day for Mitchell.

After the game, Mitchell told reporters that he and Richardson are still working on their connection, adding that “the best is yet to come.”

The added positive is that right away Mitchell is showcasing his ability to create separation from the defender. He brings elite explosiveness to the receiver position for the Colts and pairs that with a release package that Michael Pittman called the best he’s seen.

The combination makes Mitchell a difficult receiver to matchup with and allows him to make an impact at all levels of the field.

3 X-Factors for Colts in Week 1 matchup vs. Texans

Here are three X-Factors for the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans.

If the Indianapolis Colts are going to come away with the win against Houston, odds are that there best players will have to perform as such. But in football, the ultimate team game, there will be others who have to step up as well.

These players are known as the X-Factors. In this instance, an X-Factor is defined as a person who has a strong but also unpredictable influence on an outcome.

These are the players who, whether they perform well or if they struggle, their play will go a long way in dictating the outcome of Sunday’s matchup.

For the Colts, these three players in particular–the X-Factors–are going to have to play key roles against the Texans.

CB JuJu Brents

A strong performance from Brents would go a long way in providing much-needed stability in the secondary for the Colts–a unit that faces a hefty number of question marks this season.

Along with CJ Stroud under center for the Texans, at receiver this season are Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. Completely stopping this trio is probably not likely, but being able to at least limit their production and the explosive plays when coupled with the Colts’ disruptive pass rush should form what is overall a very good defensive unit.

DT Raekwon Davis

The Colts’ defensive front should be one of the more disruptive units in football. However, if there’s an area of improvement from a season ago, it’s in how this group defends the run when Grover Stewart isn’t on the field.

The addition of Davis this offseason in free agency was, in part, supposed to provide a boost in that area. Collectively, if the Colts can slow the Texans’ run game, it will put their offense in predictable passing situations, where the pass rush can pin its ears back and the secondary has the advantage in coverage.

WR AD Mitchell

Without Josh Downs playing in this game, the Colts will need another pass catching option outside of Michael Pittman to emerge as a reliable target for Anthony Richardson.

Presumably, Mitchell is going to see the bulk of his snaps from the slot, where his combination or size, explosiveness, and route running can make him a difficult player to cover. With those traits, Mitchell has the ability to impact all levels of the field and doing so against the Texans when coupled with Jonathan Taylor and the run game will do wonders for the Colts’ offense as a whole.

Colts’ rookies Laiatu Latu and AD Mitchell make quick impact vs. Bengals

Colts’ rookies Laiatu Latu and AD Mitchell made quick impacts in their preseason game against the Bengals.

In the Colts’ preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, their first two selections in this past April’s draft–Laiatu Latu and AD Mitchell–make a quick impact in this game.

The Colts began on defense and after limiting the Bengals offense on the first two plays of the game, it set up a third down, where Latu subbed in for Tyquan Lewis.

As we’ve seen from Latu throughout training camp, he used that speed and bend of his to quickly work his way around Bengals’ tackle Cody Ford to secure the third-down sack.

“It was great,” said Steichen of Latu’s sack. “That guy’s been working his tail off since he got here, and to go get that sack, it was big. He can rush the passer like crazy. I’m looking forward to the season for him, for sure.”

On the following series, the Colts’ first possession on offense, Anthony Richardson led a drive down the field that ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to AD Mitchell.

With the Bengals blitzing and the other Colts’ pass-catchers working towards the end zone, it cleared out room underneath for Mitchell on a crossing route, who made the catch and then won the race to the end zone.

“It’s great,” added Steichen. “Obviously when you get out there, whether it’s a preseason game, regular season, but to get into pay-dirt as a rookie is huge. It’s a great job by Anthony, they brought blitz zero there, had to drift a little bit, got the ball off, hit him in stride. That was a big time play.”

On that drive, Mitchell also had another nine yard reception that put the Colts’ in an advantageous second-and-one situation.

Both Colts’ rookies are not only going have big roles this season but should be able to make a big impact. As the first defensive player off the board in April, Latu has looked the part since arriving in Indianapolis.

Mitchell, meanwhile, adds a new element to the passing game with his combination of explosiveness and route running.

Colts’ WR Michael Pittman learning from rookie AD Mitchell

Colts’ veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman is learning some new things from rookie AD Mitchell during training camp.

Colts’ rookie receiver AD Mitchell has previously discussed how he is trying to absorb everything that he can from Michael Pittman, but Pittman isn’t only the teacher–he’s doing some learning of his own.

After Wednesday’s joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, Pittman was asked what has impressed him about Mitchell. Without hesitation, Pittman mentioned Mitchell’s releases, which helps him create separation as a route runner.

“His releases are like the best I’ve seen,” Pittman said. “I’ve actually been studying him because he’s so good at it and that’s something that I noticed from Day 1.”

Mitchell comes to the NFL with elite athleticism. During the pre-draft process, he posted a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.99, featuring a 4.34 40-yard dash time.

That combination of speed and burst can already make defending Mitchell a difficult challenge for defensive backs. However, when you couple that ability with his release package as a route runner, you get a player who can impact all levels of the field.

During Mitchell’s final college season at Texas, he totaled 845 receiving yards at 15.4 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns. According to PFF, 26 percent of his targets came 20-plus yards downfield, 41 percent on intermediate routes, and 31 percent from 0-9 yards.

“We were actually in California doing–so we were doing one-on-one reps,” added Pittman, “and he was killing everybody, and I was like this dude is going to be good.”

Since joining the Colts, Pittman has been the model of consistency for the passing game, even with instability around him. Over the last three seasons, Pittman has had at least 88 receptions each year, and eclipsed 1,000 yards twice–narrowly missing out in 2022.

But like any of the top players around the NFL, Pittman is always looking for ways to improve, and the addition of Mitchell is providing him with a another area to emphasize.