Adonai Mitchell, WR Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Mitchell was a four-star recruit from Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn. in the class of 2021

Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is one of the most physically gifted players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He hasn’t performed at a consistent level this season, but his peaks will tempt teams to swing on him in the first round.

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Adonai Mitchell, WR Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Missouri City, Texas

Background: Mitchell was a four-star recruit from Cane Ridge High School in Nashville, Tenn. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 383 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 302 for On3.com. Mitchell was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. He originally played for Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, Texas. Mitchell committed to Ole Miss before flipping to Georgia. He transferred from Georgia to Texas for the 2023 season. Mitchell led Cane Ridge to a 9-4 record with 49 receptions for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019. He was the 2019 Tennessean Region 5-6A Athlete of the Year. In 2018 with Ridge Point, he made 25 receptions for 378 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 170 yards and five additional scores. Mitchell was a 2018 UIL Class 6A District 20 Second Team All-District selection.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed nine games in 2022 with a high ankle sprain

Awards: N/A

Pros: Experience out wide and learning the slot in 2023, tall frame with excellent arm length, catch radius, good speed that defenders must respect, flashes of nice burst off the line, good luck guarding his release on an island, fast footwork in his release, excellent footwork in release to turn defenders around, hesitation moves and lateral agility help his release, stutter skip mid-route, sells double moves well, impeccable stutter-go, bounce and acceleration to fire across the DB’s face mid-route, sticks his foot in the ground and makes sharp cuts at the stem’s top, separates at the stem’s top on deep in breakers, quick and quiet feet at the stem’s top on short in breakers and comebacks, fakes a post before breaking on a corner route, separates on crossing routes, long strides to get vertical quickly, Terrion Arnold couldn’t run with him vertically (2023), natural hands catcher, high points the ball well and rises to meet it, some circus catches against tight coverage, instances of being a willing blocker and making an impact with his size and strength, willing to block corners, safeties, and linebackers

Cons: Little to no career special teams experience, occasional false steps in release, limited reps against true press, large frame will be a target in press, needs to flash more physicality against press, speed falls short of elite, reps where he fails to separate on vertical routes against man coverage, struggled to separate against Kool-Aid McKinstry (2023), speed is more built up when he needs to re-accelerate mid-route, just going through the motions on some routes, short to intermediate route tree is still developing, would like more hip sink and quicker deceleration on comeback routes, stumbled a few times against Alabama (2023) when attempting sudden cuts, needs to be more physical at the catch point, should dominate his air space more, limited elusiveness and YAC upside, not a twitchy athlete, breaks few tackles, doesn’t sustain blocks for long enough, takes bad angles and whiffs on blocks

Overview: Mitchell primarily plays out wide but is gaining exposure to the slot in 2023. He has a tall frame with excellent arm length and a massive catch radius. Mitchell offers good speed that defenders must respect and displays burst off the line of scrimmage. That combination of burst paired with his fast footwork, lateral agility, and complex lower body release package makes him difficult to press without extra help over the top. Mitchell throws in a stutter-skip, stutter-go, and well-sold double moves mid-route and uses his bounce and acceleration to cross the defensive back’s face. He makes sharp cuts off his plant foot at the stem’s top. This is how he separates on deep in-breaking routes. His quick and quiet feet at the top of the stem on short in-breaking routes and comebacks help him generate separation. He sells a post route well before breaking on a corner route. Mitchell pulls away from most defensive backs on crossing routes with his long strides. Alabama’s Terrion Arnold had no luck trying to run with Mitchell vertically (2023). The Georgia transfer is a natural hands catcher who high points the ball well and rises to meet it. Unfortunately, he’s not as physical or dominant at the catch point as a player his size should be. There’s an obvious physical comparison to be drawn to former Georgia teammate George Pickens, but Mitchell is more vertically explosive. However, he’s not nearly as much of a beast at the catch point as Pickens. Mitchell is a willing blocker who makes an impact with his size and strength, but he takes bad angles into blocks and doesn’t sustain them for long enough. The junior has little to no special teams experience, which limits his path to the field. He suffers from some false steps in his release and has faced limited reps against true press coverage. Mitchell’s large frame will be a big target for aggressive NFL press man corners, and the receiver hasn’t shown the physicality to counter those players yet. His speed is good but far from elite. Mitchell struggled to separate downfield against Kool-Aid McKinstry (2023). The former four-star recruit’s attention to detail and effort differ from play-to-play. His short to intermediate route tree is still developing, and he needs to sink his hips more and decelerate quicker on comeback routes. Mitchell is not elusive or twitchy and offers limited upside after the catch. He lacks the play strength to break most tackles.

Overall, Mitchell is an underperforming but immensely physically gifted receiver with the tools to be a top two option in the NFL. His flashes are as brilliant as any wide receiver in the class, but his down-to-down consistency isn’t on the level of a first round pick. Mitchell has the traits to be a more dominant player than he currently is, especially at the catch point.

Role & Scheme Fit: Field-stretching X in an 11 personnel scheme

Round Projection: Early Second Round

Size: 6'4", 196 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-03-23