Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was drafted in 2024 with a lot of excitement. Taken in the second round for the Indianapolis Colts, Mitchell had a lot of hype surrounding him heading into his rookie season. Then the season actually started, and Mitchell looked like a bust.
To say that Mitchell struggled during his rookie season would be a massive understatement. He seemingly didn't understand how to run routes, dropped balls constantly, and couldn't figure out the offensive scheme. His rookie season ended up being a huge disappointment, and heading into the 2025 season, there were a lot of questions surrounding Mitchell.
Could he bounce back from his miserable rookie season? Would he lose a wide receiver spot to someone else in the Colts unit?
Adonai Mitchell launches his comeback era for the Indianapolis Colts
Mitchell worked hard in the offseason and during training camp to restore faith in him, and - once again - looked promising. Regardless of which quarterback was under center, Mitchell was the top target. He started off a bit rough, but seemed to get it together as training camp went on. By preseason, he still looked good. But how would that translate to the regular season?
In the Colts' season opener against the Miami Dolphins, it's safe to say the entire team looked incredible, absolutely destroying Miami in a 33-8 blowout. And while Mitchell wasn't the primary target for Daniel Jones - that honor went to Michael Pittman, Jr. and Tyler Warren - he still showed that his redemption season is starting off strong.
Mitchell ended the game two-for-two, with 21 yards. One of those receptions, however, was an 18-yard stunner that Mitchell was able to not only snag the ball, but make it count with a toe tap to keep it in bounds.
While Mitchell didn't have a huge role in the Colts' first game of the season, it was still a promising showing from the veteran wide receiver, proving that fans shouldn't count him out yet. Of course, it's a limited sample, and it's only the first week of the season - but it's clearly movement in the right direction.
It also certainly helped that Mitchell was playing against one of the worst secondary units in the league. WIll he be able to have another good performance against a tougher defense? There's still no telling on that measure, and to be fair, that same question could be directed towards the Colts offense as a whole. But for now, it looks like Mitchell might finally be figuring it out.