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To say that Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard wasn’t happy with reporting about AD Mitchell ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft would be an understatement.
In the weeks leading up to the draft, reports with unnamed sources came out questioning Mitchell’s character. Anonymous scouts slammed Mitchell in a piece from Bob McGinn with Go Long, questioning his ability to stay focused and one even going as far as to call him “almost uncoachable.”
The Colts didn’t seem to mind any of that, and took Mitchell with the 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft. In fact, Ballard went as far as to go on an expletive-filled rant to slam the anonymous reports about his newest wide receiver.
Chris Ballard’s Epic Press Conference
Shortly after the Colts made their Day 2 picks, Ballard was available to the media to talk about the team’s selections. It didn’t take him much time to start hammering the reporting surrounding Mitchell’s character.
You can watch the full rant from Ballard in the video. (WARNING: the language used is NSFW)
“Unnamed sources, bad interview, that’s such b******t,” Ballard said. “Put your name on it. I’m tired of, we tear these young men down. These are 21, 22-year-old men. If people can tell me they’re perfect in their lives, it’s crap. This is a good kid, and for those reports to come out, I said it last year, it’s b******t.”
Ballard semi-apologized for cursing during the answer. However, it was clear from his response that he feels very strongly about the kid that Mitchell is and the man that he could become.
The Colts had a need at wide receiver, and Mitchell was generating some buzz as a potential first-round pick. Instead, they were able to land him deep into the second round, giving Anthony Richardson another weapon to work with next season.
AD Mitchell Scouting Report
When it comes to athletic testing and on-field work, Mitchell was one of the more exciting wide receiver prospects in this year’s draft.
A transfer from Georgia, Mitchell had a breakout 2023 season with the Texas Longhorns. He finished the year with 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns, playing a key role on a College Football Playoff team.
Mitchell has great size at 6’2″ and 205 pounds. He posted excellent athletic testing on top of that. His Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10 ranked fifth all-time among 3,402 recorded receivers. His testing was highlighted by a 40-yard dash time of 4.34 seconds and an absurd broad jump of 11’4″.
On tape, Mitchell does a great job of creating separation, both downfield and against press coverage. He has very good long speed, along with excellent deep ball tracking to get under the ball and consistently come away with explosive plays. He also has the ideal frame and body control to consistently come away with 50-50 balls.
Mitchell’s effort doesn’t consistently show up throughout a game, but it’s noticeable when it’s there. He also needs to be more consistently effective as a run blocker, especially given his frame.
Still, as a pure pass-catching weapon opposite of Michael Pittman, there weren’t many better fits than Mitchell for the Colts.
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