Adonai Mitchell Making Strong Impression On Reggie Wayne

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS – If Reggie Wayne wanted to, he could play the “tough coach, make the rookie earn his stripes” card with Adonai Mitchell.

But Wayne didn’t go there in his first public comments about the Colts second-round wide receiver.

During Mitchell’s second week of work with the Colts, Wayne seemed quite pleased with what the rookie was showing.

“So far, so good,” the now third-year wide receivers coach said of the second-round pick. “He’s come in and he’s got a smile on his face every single day. He’s taking to coaching pretty good.

“I think what he is going to bring to this team is going to be special. Right now, he’s been bombarded with plays, after plays, after plays in the classroom…but man, he’s catching on pretty good, throwing him in there, surprising him a little bit, he’s on beat.”

Wayne got an up-close look at Mitchell earlier this spring, while attending the University of Texas Pro Day.

Shane Steichen notes the impressive explosion Mitchell brings to the receiver position, and the strong ability to create separation at the top of his routes.

And that last part has struck Wayne, too.

“Just the way he got in and out of his routes,” Wayne says of the biggest Mitchell impression. ”He’s a guy that is different from everybody we have in our (wideout) room. And that’s kind of what you want. You want different people in the puzzle to kind of put it all together and create a hole at some point in time.

“I already knew his hands were real strong. He’s got pretty good hands. To be 6-2 and to get in and out of your breaks that way, it’s pretty special.”

Clearly, Mitchell has already left quite the impression on his new position coach.

The draft debate over Mitchell was quite abundant.

How does a 6-2, 205-pound wideout, with elite 4.3 40-yard dash speed, routine big play ability on college football’s biggest stages become the 11^th wideout drafted?

Wayne isn’t naïve to those curious on why Mitchell was still there at No. 52 overall, with the Colts trading back from No. 46, before saying the “talent was too good to pass up.”

“I kind of came in with one eye open and one eye closed,” Wayne says when asked about the questions on Mitchell’s draft selection. “But he’s been a joy to have in this building. I’ve heard other people on the staff talk about, “I like AD. I like AD.’ He’s come in with a smile every single day. He’s joyful every single morning.

“He’s not like me. I can be moody. But he comes in and he’s smile and he’s excited to be in this building and excited to help and excited to learn. That’s an arrow going upwards.”

Even Wayne, who certainly would label himself as an old school type of coach isn’t shying away from the early praise of his new 21-year-old wideout.