Adonai Mitchell will never forget how many receivers were selected before him in this year’s NFL Draft. And because of the NFL jersey number he’s selected, no one else will forget, either. The Colts‘ rookie receiver has chosen to wear No. 10, which represents the amount of wideouts who were drafted before he was ultimately selected with the 52nd overall pick (via ESPN).
“I originally picked another number,” Mitchell said on Friday. “But then, I was up late just thinking about it. I couldn’t get it off my mind. And I was like … let me get 10.”
It’s hard to figure out why Mitchell slid to the middle of the second round. The 6-foot-4, Mitchell caught 11 touchdown passes last year while helping Texas advance to the College Football Playoff. He caught six passes for 109 yards and a score during the Longhorns’ victory over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
After drafting Mitchell, Colts general manager Chris Ballard ripped some pre-draft reports suggesting that Mitchell didn’t interview well with several teams.
“That’s such [bullshit],” Ballard said during the draft. “I mean, it [f—–g] is. It’s [bullshit]. 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 me 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 [bullshit].”
Mitchell isn’t the first player to witness a draft slide, and he won’t be the last. In fact, Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss endured his own draft fall before carving out a Hall of Fame career. It’s safe to say that Mitchell wouldn’t mind having a similar story.
