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Pros and cons of Indianapolis Colts picking Texas football’s Adonai Mitchell in NFL draft

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (5) catches the ball for an first down against Kansas State Wildcats cornerback Jacob Parrish (10) in the. First quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, November. 4, 2023, in Austin, Texas.
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (5) catches the ball for an first down against Kansas State Wildcats cornerback Jacob Parrish (10) in the. First quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, November. 4, 2023, in Austin, Texas.

After one season in Austin, Adonai Mitchell is moving to Indianapolis.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft on Friday night. The 52nd overall pick, Mitchell is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver who transferred to Texas this past season after winning two national championships at Georgia.

He was taken one round after teammate Xavier Worthy was selected with the 28th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.

What Mitchell brings to Indianapolis in 2024 NFL draft

In Mitchell, the Colts selected a player who starred during his one year at Texas and also had a solid showing at the NFL Combine in March. Mitchell was rated by NFL.com as the No. 8 receiver in the Class of 2024. He was the 11th receiver selected.

Mitchell developed the reputation of a big-play receiver in college. While suiting up for Georgia and Texas, Mitchell appeared in five College Football Playoff games. He caught a touchdown pass in each of those postseason contests.

Mitchell highlights, strengths, weaknesses at Texas

On its list of pros and cons for Mitchell, NFL.com praised the receiver's footwork, body control and ability to track balls and grab contested catches. Mitchell, though, was dinged for his route running and run-blocking abilities.

Mitchell was compared to Pittsburgh receiver George Pickens by NFL.com.

Mitchell's 11 touchdowns catches for the Longhorns were tied for the fifth-most by a Texas receiver in a single season. But you could argue that his best catch in 2023 didn't result in six points. To seal a 29-26 win at TCU on Nov. 11, Mitchell beat man coverage and adjusted to a downfield pass by Quinn Ewers to give Texas a 35-yard gain on a 3rd-and-12 attempt with 1:58 remaining.

Mitchell stats with Texas

In addition to leading Texas in touchdown catches, Mitchell averaged 15.4 yards over his 55 receptions. He recorded 100-yard games against Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Mitchell was named the Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Colts draft Adonai Mitchell in 2024 NFL Draft: Pros, cons of pick