When the Colts drafted Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell with their second-round pick on Friday night, it was widely considered one of the bigger steals of the night from most draft analysts. Mitchell went into the weekend as one of the highest-ranked wide receivers on the board, and many didn't expect him to make it out of the top 15, and certainly not the first round.
But Mitchell was there for the Colts at 51, which was as exciting for Indianapolis as it was confusing for the other 31 teams. According to some anonymous reporting, however, part of the reason for Mitchell's fall down the board was that he didn't interview particularly well in the lead-up to the Draft. An unnamed scout claimed that Mitchell, who has Type 1 diabetes, didn't manage his condition well at times during his stints at Georgia and Texas, which teams took note of.
Needless to say, Colts GM Chris Ballard didn't take too well to those unsourced reports. While speaking to the media during Friday night's second round, Ballard didn't hold back when explaining how he felt about the criticism Mitchell had faced over the past few weeks and months.
Chris Ballard goes on NSFW rant defending Adonai Mitchell's character
#Colts GM Chris Ballard just went OFF on anonymous sources tearing Texas WR Adonai Mitchell for character concerns.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2024
“Put your name on it. We tear these young men down…. It’s crap. This is a good kid.”
pic.twitter.com/jdGgyJ48b6
"I read some of the bullsh--t that was said on TV," Ballard said. "Just our typical league. Unnamed sources, bad interviews. That's just such bullsh--t. It f--king is. It's bullsh--t. Like, put your name on it. We tear these young men down. These are 21, 22 year old men and if people out there can tell them they're perfect in their lives? It's crap. It's crap. This is a good kid. And for those reports to come out? I said it last year. It's bullsh--t. I'm sorry. I apologize for the language. I don't, but I do."
It's not exactly surprising to see a GM defend a player he quite literally just drafted, but then again, it's not hard to see what Ballard's saying, either. Anonymously knocking a player for how he deals with diabetes is peak pre-draft behavior, and Ballard is right to speak up about it.