Indianapolis Colts’ second-year wide receiver AD Mitchell put together a strong performance during Thursday’s final OTA practice, further building momentum towards next week’s minicamp.
According to Jake Arthur of SI’s Horseshoe Huddle, Mitchell was able to generate a few big plays.
“Mitchell made a few big plays,” wrote Arthur, “grabbing a chunk play of about 20 yards from Jones over the middle of the field during 7-on-7s, catching the two-minute touchdown, and he made an acrobatic catch along the sideline from (Jason) Bean as he did a pirouette in the air and got both feet down in bounds.”
After an up-and-down rookie season, the Colts, as GM Chris Ballard said after the season, want to see more consistency from Mitchell in 2025.
In Year 1, Mitchell would catch 23-of-51 passes (45.1%) at 13.6 yards per catch with no touchdowns. Dropped passes, not being on the same page with the quarterback, and mistimed routes were all part of the equation.
With that said, we also saw Mitchell’s ability to create separation, particularly against man coverage. The combination of athleticism and route-running abilities that he possesses makes Mitchell a player who can attack all levels of the field.
“That he’s exactly who we drafted,” said Reggie Wayne about Mitchell’s ability to create separation. “A guy that can constantly get open. A guy that’s a threat and is special when it’s man-to-man. The next step is finishing catches. Making sure you’re on the same page as the quarterback. I think we spread it pretty evenly. Everybody contributes a certain way, but different from everyone else.”
However, in order to earn those opportunities, and not only be a vertical threat, which was often the case in 2024, refinement and consistency are needed.
Mitchell’s emergence in Year 2 can provide Shane Steichen with added flexibility as he puts together game plans with another player that he can potentially try to get the ball to regularly and with a receiver who brings a different skill set to the position.
The challenge is that he is in a crowded Colts’ receiver room, where Mitchell is currently the fourth option, not to mention that Tyler Warren is now a part of that pass-catching mix as well.
“That next step is like, alright, let me learn my role, let me focus on the things I can control and move from there,” added Wayne. “He’s backing up Alec right now. I mean, you can’t throw Alec away. Alec just had a great year. Just coming in understanding, and understanding your place, but when your number is called, let’s make sure we hit a home run and not just a base hit.”
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts OTAs: WR AD Mitchell with strong performance in final practice