INDIANAPOLIS — Adonai Mitchell couldn’t sleep.
A few days before Indianapolis Colts rookie minicamp began Friday, the team’s second-round pick was still miffed about where he’d been selected. Mitchell was the 11th wide receiver chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Indianapolis even traded back before picking him 52nd overall.
He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
As Mitchell ruminated on what could have been, he ultimately decided to turn his draft position into fuel, choosing to wear the No. 10 as a constant reminder of the 10 receivers taken before him.
“I originally picked another number, but then I was just up late thinking about it,” Mitchell said. “I couldn’t get it off my mind.”
Asked if he could name the 10 wideouts chosen before him, which includes former Texas teammate Xavier Worthy, Mitchell quickly dismissed the question.
“No,” Mitchell responded. “Nobody got a name. Nobody got a face.”
Giving this one a 10 out of 10. pic.twitter.com/eNOLfeHaih
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 12, 2024
It didn’t take long for Mitchell to stand out at rookie minicamp. Although the media’s sightline isn’t the best at the Colts practice facility, Mitchell’s gloves weren’t hard to find. They flashed across the middle of the field and near the sideline during team drills, usually just as he plucked the ball out of the air. Save for a few bobbles, he was steady on his first day and special on his second one.
“Explosive,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said, describing Mitchell after his first practice. “You can see the size. You can see the speed. (He has) great hands.”
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Mitchell validated Steichen’s assessment even more with a pair of touchdown catches Saturday during seven-on-seven drills. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver easily fooled undrafted cornerback Kwinton Lassiter on a slant route inside, snatched the ball across the middle and showed off his 4.34-second 40-dash by pulling away for a roughly 70-yard score. A few plays later, Mitchell took another long pass to the house, this time flipping his head at the last second before catching the ball and turning on the afterburners down the sideline. That play looked like it was a miscommunication since the ball was thrown outside instead of inside, but Mitchell made his mid-route adjustment look seamless.
Colts wide receiver coach Reggie Wayne remained in Mitchell’s ear, giving him pointers between reps, and Mitchell seemed to gladly soak in the advice. The rookie said he was overcome with emotion when he first walked into the Colts practice facility, one that features several photos on the walls of Wayne in his heyday. When Mitchell made it to the locker room, it reinforced to him that “the hard part is out of the way.” All he must do now is prove himself. Wearing the No. 10 will help in that regard, but the necklace and heart-shaped locket he wears, with a photo of his 2-year-old daughter, Icylinn, will help even more.
“I wear this necklace everywhere I go,” Mitchell said. “I don’t take it off to shower. I don’t take it off to sleep. That’s my girl. That’s who I wake up and do it every day for, so that’s been (my) motivation since her Day 1.”
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Mitchell was one of the last players on the field Friday and Saturday, catching passes from undrafted former BYU QB Kevon Slovis. Mitchell hasn’t talked to his new starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson, but that’ll soon change as the rookies mix in with the rest of the team during OTAs.
“I’m definitely excited, going from rivals to future best friends,” Mitchell said. “It’s gonna be fun. I really like his game. I admire just who he is as a person. A lot of things that he brings to the field, a lot of people don’t.”
#Colts WR Adonai Mitchell and UDFA QB Kedon Slovis are the last ones on the practice field at rookie minicamp. They were the last ones out here yesterday, too. pic.twitter.com/EntbRhQOJI
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 11, 2024
Giving his all
Laiatu Latu vowed to play his heart out for the Colts after they drafted him 15th overall two weeks ago. The surgical pass rusher made good on that promise Saturday, puking at the end of his second day of rookie minicamp. Even though Latu was exhausted, he still pulled himself together to put in a few more extra individual reps, just like he’d done Friday, before finally clocking out.
Some may think the rookie was overdoing it. Latu believes he could never do enough.
The former UCLA star missed two years of football due to a severe neck injury. Now that he’s returned and reached the NFL, it’s easy for him to give everything, especially when considering all the times he couldn’t.
“This place has changed my life,” Latu said. “I want to give my all to coach Steichen, (GM) Chris Ballard, (team owner) Jim Irsay and to the rest of the team. I really want to lay it out for everyone.”
Laiatu’s ready for this moment.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 10, 2024
Latu, like Mitchell, quickly and routinely made his presence felt through the first two days of rookie minicamp. He’ll really benefit from stiffer competition in OTAs because he made easy work of seemingly every offensive lineman who stood in his way. Steichen praised Latu for his explosiveness, which showed up in conjunction with a variety of crisp pass-rush moves.
Latu obviously wasn’t allowed to truly sack any of the QBs. That’ll have to wait until his preseason debut. But he’s already eager to begin following in the footsteps of the great Colts pass rushers who came before him, two of whom helped the franchise win the Super Bowl in 2007. Latu chose to wear No. 97 partly in their honor.
“I learned when I got here the whole history behind the 90s numbers,” Latu said. “You have 93 and 98, (Robert) Mathis and (Dwight) Freeney, both going into the Hall of Fame. You have DeForest Buckner, one of the best D-linemen to ever play, wearing 99. I got to pick either 97 or 57. When they told me that, I’m like, ‘I’m rocking with the 90s.’”
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Putting his best toe forward
As Colts offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. barked out the orders, Matt Goncalves lined up against another offensive lineman, stepped forward and lunged into him during an individual drill Saturday. He did it again and again, as their hands and pads repeatedly thudded together. Then, when Goncalves lined up at right tackle during an 11-on-11 drill, he did it to the opposing defensive lineman with much more force.
None of those drills or plays were all that eventful for him, which, aside from the occasional pancake, is usually a good thing for an offensive lineman. But it was still a significant milestone for Goncalves, who was finally back playing football after appearing in just three games last year at Pittsburgh due to a left big toe injury that required surgery.
“I told my dad this (Friday) night, not (having) to worry about my toe, it’s the best feeling in the world,” Goncalves said. “I’ve been kind of thinking about it and going through the combine process and (the toe) hurting. But going out there (Saturday), not even thinking about it, just going and playing, I’m so, so happy.”
Goncalves didn’t test at the combine, yet gutted through Pittsburgh’s pro day to prove to NFL scouts he was ready for the next level. The Colts bought in, trading up to draft him 79th overall in the third round.
Slovis, who is one of the Colts’ seven undrafted free agent signees, transferred to Pittsburgh in 2022 and spent one year with a fully healthy Goncalves, before transferring again and finishing his career at BYU. Slovis is confident Indianapolis made the right call on his former college teammate.
“Matt’s a really good player, works hard, super tough and super aggressive,” Slovis said. “One of the better linemen that I played with, and again, he sets the intensity up front.”
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Goncalves and former Wisconsin center Tanor Bortolini, who started at center during rookie minicamp, both ran into star left guard Quenton Nelson during their first tour of the Colts practice facility. Bortolini said that’s when their new jobs really began to sink in.
“Well, he’s pretty good at what he does,” Bortolini said of Nelson, laughing. “It’s just crazy to have a guy like that in the O-line room that you’re gonna be able to work with every day. … It was just kind of a surreal moment. You watch him on TV growing up, and now you’re gonna be playing with him in the same room.”
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(Photo: Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
2024-05-12 22:28:04
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