After initially trading down from pick 46 to 52 in the second round of the NFL Draft, the Colts were able to land the playmaking presence at receiver that they very much needed, selecting Adonai Mitchell out of Texas. In what is a loaded wide receiver draft class, Mitchell was 27th ranked prospect overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board and the fourth-ranked wide receiver. During the pre-draft process, an “anonymous scout” criticized Mitchell’s character. Following Day 2 of the draft, when asked about Mitchell, Ballard passionately defended him. Please note that the video below is NSFW and does ..read more

The Colts were on the move on the second day of the NFL Draft. In the second round, they traded down with Carolina before taking Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Then, in the third round, they traded back up a few spots to select Pittsburgh offensive tackle Matt Goncalves. The addition of Mitchell provides the Colts’ offense with needed playmaking, along with the upside to be a true No. 1 target who can imapct all levels of the field. Goncalves, meanwhile, can play both right and left tackle positions, and provides the Colts with needed depth at the position. With the second and third rou ..read more

The Colts return their five starters on the offensive line from the 2023 season–a unit that ranked among the best in both pass protection and run-blocking. So naturally, the offensive tackle position may not seem like a position that the Colts would spend an early to mid-round pick on, but at a minimum, depth is needed for the 2024 season, with only four tackles on the roster prior to selecting Goncalves. There’s also something to be said for the depth of this tackle draft class being just too good for Chris Ballard to pass up. During his pre-draft press conference, he mentioned that he belie ..read more

The Colts traded up three spots in the third round to select Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves. Goncalves has experience playing both tackle spots, and in some draft reports it is mentioned that he could move to guard if needed. His 2023 season was cut short due to a toe injury, but in 2022, he allowed no sacks and 17 pressures. He would rank 55th in PFF’s run-blocking grade. The addition of Goncalves is perhaps one that Chris Ballard couldn’t pass up. We’ve seen in the past that this is a position group he is willing to invest in and the depth of this draft class likely led to a few tackle ..read more

Here are my instant takeaways following the Colts jumping up a few spots in the third-round of the NFL Draft to select Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves. – In terms of Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Goncalves is a bit of an outlier compared to what we’ve seen from Ballard over the last two drafts. Goncalves’ RAS was 7.69. Only three selections in the last two years had a RAS below 9.0, and the lowest was 8.48. – Goncalves missed the final nine games of the 2023 season with a big toe injury. In 2022, he allowed no sacks and 17 pressures. He ranked 55th out of 200 eligible tackles in PFF’s ru ..read more

In the third-round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Colts selected Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves, after trading up with the Cardinals, moving from pick 82 to 79, inexchange for pick 191 in the sixth-round. Here is a quick breakdown of the pick with what you need to know. Height: 6-6 Weight: 327 RAS: 7.69 Stats to know: A big toe injury forced Goncalves to miss the final nine games of the 2023 season. In 2022, he allowed no sacks and 17 pressures. He ranked 56th out of 200 tackles in pass-blocking efficiency and 55th in PFF’s run-blocking grade. Goncalves has the ability to play both tackle sp ..read more

The Colts initially traded down in the second round with Carolina, moving from pick 46 to 52, before eventually taking Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who will bring that needed playmaking presence to the offense. Although Mitchell fell to the middle portion of the second round, he was widely considered a top talent in this class. He brings good size and terrific athleticism to the Colts offense. His 4.34 speed allows him to stretch the field and pick up YAC, but he has the upside to become a top target within an NFL offense. Mitchell brings a well-established route tree to the Colts’ of ..read more

After trading down initially, the Colts were still able to land one of the top playmakers at the receiver position in this year’s draft, selecting Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell at 52nd overall. Mitchell has good size at 6-2 – 205 pounds and is an excellent athlete, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash. He totaled 845 yards in 2023 as a primary boundary target, but he does have slot experience. Mitchell averaged 15.4 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns and ranked seventh in average depth of target, with the Texas offense trying to push the ball to him ..read more

After trading back from pick 46, the Colts landed Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell–adding a needed playmaking presence to this offense. Mitchell brings very good size and elite 4.34 speed to the Colts’ offense. He had a breakout year with Texas in 2023 after transferring from Georgia. Mitchell was often targeted more downfield with that speed of his and averaged 15.4 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns. A vertical presence is an important element of Shane Steichen’s offense, and Mitchell can help provide that. Last season, the Colts ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in explosive pass play ..read more

With the 52nd pick in the NFL Draft, the Colts selected Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Here are the initial takeaways from the selection: – Mitchell fits the mold for what the Colts look for at receiver. A big target at 6-2 – 205 pounds with an elite Relative Athletic Score of 9.99, which included a 4.34-second 40-yard dash. – Mitchell had his breakout season in 2023 with Texas, totaling 845 receiving yards at 15.4 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns. – Mitchell’s first two seasons were played at Georgia, where he totaled 38 receptions, only nine of which came in 2022, 552 yards and seven ..read more