Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell isn't carrying a draft chip on his shoulder. He's putting it on his chest.
Mitchell will wear No. 10 in Indy, representing the number of wideouts taken ahead of him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"I originally picked another number, but then I was just up late thinking about it," Mitchell said recently, via The Athletic. "I couldn't get it off my mind."
Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey and Ja'Lynn Polk were all selected before the Colts ended Mitchell's slide at pick 52.
Off-field concerns reportedly led to the wideout's selection later than initially projected, which general manager Chris Ballard rejected in an expletive-riddled rant following the draft.
Draft slights are nothing new. Famously, The Brady 6 became a documentary. Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown can list every receiver selected before he was taken in the fourth round in 2021.
Mitchell rejected the idea of rattling off the 10 receivers represented by his jersey number.
"No," Mitchell responded. "Nobody got a name. Nobody got a face."
The Colts could benefit from Mitchell's draft-day slide. Through the early stages of offseason workouts, including rookie minicamp over the weekend, the wideout has displayed big-play, field stretching ability that will play well alongside Michael Pittman and Josh Downs.
"Explosive," Colts head coach Shane Steichen called Mitchell. "You can see the size. You can see the speed. (He has) great hands."
