Adonai Mitchell Scouting Report
Tom Kavanaugh
Name: Adonai Mitchell
Position: WR
Size: 6’ 4”, 196 lbs
Year: Junior
On Tape Speed: Not blazing speed like his teammate Xavier Worthy but more than enough to challenge defenses over the top. Eats up cushion in a hurry at top speed.
Route Running: So fluid getting in and out of his breaks. Rare ability to control his gears. Stop and start acceleration is absurd for someone his size. It allows the entire route tree to be available to him. The crazy thing is, there is room for growth in terms of nuances of route running. Yet, he is already so good in this area.
Separation: Separator through and through. Press coverage or off coverage, he makes defenders look silly. Has some of the most impressive releases you will ever see. Shakes DBs out of their shoes. Extremely loose at the LOS. Has the juice to take advantage of the space he creates as well.
YAC Ability: Not going to give you much in this regard. Can stop on a dime to make defenders miss. However, below average contact balance. Goes down easy and speed takes a hit when defenders get hands on him. The 196 lbs frame really shows up here.
Vertical Skills: The vertical route tree is firmly in his repertoire. Stacks defenders and strides away from them if he gains initial separation. Double moves are legit.
Ball Skills: Only charted with 1 drop in the last 2 seasons. Adjusts to the ball but not a lot of reps of him going up to get it. Doesn’t attack the catch point. Would be surprised if contested catches are a big part of his game because is rarely in those situations.
Competitive Toughness: Effort wanes more than you would like. Looks like he is going at half speed at times. Too many examples of him giving up on routes. Teams will have to get to the bottom of why that is.
Best Trait: Separation
Worst Trait: YAC Ability/Effort
Projection: Adonai Mitchell projects best as Z receiver who can win from any alignment on all levels of the field. He wins with separation and superb start/stop ability he deploys in his routes. He may not have the all around skill set to be a true number 1 but fits perfectly as a 1b who can consistently win 1 on1s.
The two biggest questions teams will be asking about Mitchell is why his talent hasn’t led to more production and why his effort is inconsistent. You can explain the production away from being surrounded by so much other pass catching talent at Texas and Georgia.
The inconsistent effort is something only he can answer to. He will have to assure teams that issue won’t follow him to the NFL. The team visits and interviews will be massive for evaluation.
Tape Grade: 2nd Round
Pro Comparison: Jerry Jeudy