AD Mitchell’s decrease in snaps not a long-term concern

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver AD Mitchell has seen his snaps decrease significantly in recent weeks, as he only saw seven total snaps on offense against the Chicago Bears. This talented rookie is currently moving into a reserve role, but this move shouldn’t deter anyone from his long-term potential.

The numbers game is a little tricky with a player like Mitchell, as he has a large number of veteran/capable receivers ahead of him on the depth chart. Michael Pittman Jr. has led the Colts in receiving yards in each of the last three seasons, and he was just rewarded with a hefty extension north of $20 million per season last offseason. Second-year wide receiver Josh Downs was the team’s No. 2 receiver in 2023, and he’s the ideal slot receiver in Shane Steichen’s offense.

The only real position Mitchell could hope to challenge for at the moment is Alec Pierce in the “X” receiver role. Unfortunately for Mitchell, Pierce is in the midst of his best stretch of play of his career. Pierce currently leads the team with 225 receiving yards and leads the NFL in yards per catch (25.0). Add in his strong run-blocking ability and burgeoning chemistry with Anthony Richardson, and Pierce has established himself as an indispensable member of the Colts passing game.

The talent in front of Mitchell isn’t the only reason his snaps have declined, however. He had his share of struggles on the field, particularly with his timing on his routes and run blocking. These are very fixable mistakes, but can prevent a young player from getting into a strong enough rotation. There was also the costly fall he took against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, so there’s good reason for his decline in play.

Mitchell has struggled on the field and the path to playing time ahead of him appears to be blocked, so why should there be hope regarding this rookie player? Simply put, there are underlying positives in his game. He’s second in the Colts wide receiver room in average separation on his routes (behind only Pierce) and he sees a healthy dose of targets vertically on the land.

The Colts also showed how much they value him on the money this season, isolating and targeting him on two massive conversion attempts in the first two games of the year. Neither attempt ended up being completed, but Mitchell was able to find out for his quarterback to create the necessary window (the two plays in question were the fourth down attempt against Houston and Mitchell’s third down fall against Green Bay).

Mitchell has shown the ability to separate in the NFL and the Colts clearly have a long-term vision for him, it will just take time and consistency for him to get back on the field. He is one of the youngest receivers in the NFL at just 21 years old, so a lot of these issues should be resolved with more time. It’s easy to forget that Pittman Jr. didn’t experience his breakout until he was 24 (and Pierce is now 24 in his best season). It will simply take more time and more maturity for Mitchell to reach his potential in the NFL.

Overall, Mitchell was thrust into the starting lineup early in the season due to an injury at Downs, and he just wasn’t ready at the moment. He’s shown some great flashes and the Colts clearly have a plan for him, so this momentary shift to more of a reserve role shouldn’t be too concerning for his long-term potential.

Mitchell is a 21-year-old project wide receiver who will take some time to adjust to the NFL. This move to WR4/5 is necessary, it’s best for the team and it shouldn’t be a reason to panic for the long-term future of this young player.

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