Can Adonai Mitchell Unlock His Full Fantasy Potential?

Adonai Mitchell – Texas
6’2″ | 205lbs
Career Stats: 93rec 1405yds 18tds

Pros

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds with 4.34 speed, Mitchell is an intriguing prospect in both the NFL Draft and dynasty rookie drafts. As an above-average route runner that makes him more than just a size/speed player who can take the top off the defense, he has shown the ability to create separation at all levels of the field on short, intermediate, and deep routes.

Mitchell does a good job selling his routes with head fakes and arm motions, and he excels at setting up defensive backs on double moves to get behind the defense. He has also shown the ability to “throttle down” to find the holes in zone coverages which is something a lot of receivers struggle with in their transition to the NFL.

His speed and burst scores are both in the 96th percentile (per playerprofiler.com), and when you combine that with his above-average route-running ability and his 6-foot-2 frame, Mitchell could sneak into the bottom of the first round in the NFL Draft or, at worst, a high Day 2 pick which would solidify him as one of the Top 7 wide receivers for dynasty and likely a late first/high second-round pick in rookie drafts.

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Cons

As with a lot of receivers in this draft class, Mitchell struggles to beat press-man. If he is unable to beat the defensive back at the line-of-scrimmage with his speed and quickness he will often get knocked off his routes and throw off the timing. The NFL defenders are bigger, stronger, and more athletic than what he saw in college, so Mitchell may need to be schemed in to get a free release using pre-snap motion or creative alignments, but doing so could cap his fantasy ceiling, at least initially.

Summary

Mitchell had a ridiculous level of touchdown efficiency in college, catching a touchdown on about every five receptions, something that will not continue at the next level. His big-play potential and ability to stretch the field will be a huge asset to whatever team decides to draft him, but if he continues to be a low-volume player with the expected decrease in touchdown efficiency, he could find himself more of boom/bust WR3 in fantasy.

However, if given the right role and good coaching, Adonai Mitchell has all the right tools and size to be an elite NFL wide receiver, but it will come down to how much he can improve at beating press-man and whether he can he get stronger at the catch point on those contested catches.

Strengths

  • Long speed
  • Quickness off the line of scrimmage
  • Route-running
  • Ball tracking

Concerns

  • Contested catches
  • Beating press-man
  • Concentration drops
  • Touchdown Efficiency won’t translate to the next level

2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Projection: Late 1st/High 2nd in Superflex Leagues, Mid-to-late 1st in 1QB

Ideal Role: a team’s No. 2 WR, could be a one-dimensional deep threat initially but develop into a more complete receiver with time

Player Comp: Kenny Stills, Mike Wallace

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Geoff Lambert

Geoff has been playing fantasy football since 1996 and covering it professionally since 2015. In addition to being the founder of GoingFor2.com and The Armchair Fantasy Show, Geoff has contributed to FantasyPros, FantasyLife, and the now-defunct RotoWriters, while also appearing on a multitude of fantasy podcasts. Geoff's favorite professional teams are the 49ers, the Pelicans and the Nationals.

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