Chris Ballard: Colts drafting Adonai Mitchell was 'a little bit of luck'
The Indianapolis Colts ended up with WR Adonai Mitchell after taking him with the 52nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It was a pick that the franchise was happy about but also one that GM Chris Ballard admits that they were fortunate to get to make.
Ballard spoke about their selection of Mitchell during an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Tuesday. He said that receiver was a position that they felt comfortable with going into the draft considering its depth, even though they knew they wouldn’t know who’d still be on the board by the time that second-round pick for them got on the clock.
“Yeah, we felt it was an excellent class,” Ballard said. “We had a good feeling that somebody would fall.”
“You never can know. Like, people say they know. You don’t freakin’ know,” said Ballard. “I mean we’re all trying to figure it out as we go along.”
Through the first 51 picks, teams had already taken 11 receivers. That included seven in the first round and six going from No. 28 through No. 37. That’s where the stroke of luck came into it for Ballard considering Mitchell was still there at No. 52.
“Being able to get AD with his talent level to add to the mix? That was a little bit of luck,” Ballard admitted. “I wish I could sit here and tell you it was skill but you got to get a little lucky.”
Mitchell played three seasons of collegiate football at Georgia and at Texas. During his career with the Bulldogs and Longhorns, he caught 93 passes for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He made an impact with both programs as he made the College Football Playoff in each of his three seasons, including a pair of national championships in Athens. In those five playoff games, he totaled a dozen receptions for 181 yards. He also had five scores with one score apiece in each game.
However, his best season individually was while in Austin this past fall. He posted career-highs across the board with 55 catches for 845 yards and a team-high at 11 touchdowns.
Mitchell will now join a receiving corps in Indy with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce, all of which have also been picks in the top-three rounds of their respective draft for the Colts over the past five years. They’ll all be weapons for QB Anthony Richardson, the No. 3 pick in 2023, to use in his second year.
It doesn’t hurt to get lucky sometimes, especially when you want a certain player and have to wait it out for your selection. Now, Ballard is just glad that Indianapolis was in order to bring Mitchell in as one of their nine selections.