After being unable to fully address the need at wide receiver following the trade of Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are turning their attention toward the 2024 NFL Draft.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, the Steelers will host Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for a pre-draft visit this week.
Mitchell, who checks in at 6022, 205 pounds, hauled in 55 receptions for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 after transferring from Georgia to Texas. He has been a popular name connected to the Steelers during the pre-draft process, especially after new Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was spotted at Texas Pro Day keeping a close eye on Mitchell and fellow Longhorns receivers Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington.
The Steelers also had a formal interview with Mitchell at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
After trading Johnson, the Steelers signed veterans Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson, but don’t have a true complementary piece opposite George Pickens.
In his collegiate career at Georgia and Texas, Mitchell recorded 93 catches for 1,407 yards and 18 touchdowns.
In his scouting report for Steelers Depot, Efram Geller had this to say about Mitchell:
“Mitchell has the talent that most college receivers can only dream of. He has a natural feel and fluid athleticism as a receiver. His routes are sloppy, but he has the traits to tighten them up and become a dangerous separator. It’s discouraging when a college prospect plays this loose, and teams may take him off their board completely due to effort inconsistencies. If Mitchell is drafted by a proper coaching staff, he can develop into a three-level separator and a high-upside, No. 2 receiver. Mitchell’s stock will heavily vary amongst the draft community, but there’s no doubt he can end up as one of the bigger steals in the draft.”
He has all the physical traits that the Steelers tend to love in receivers, with good size, physicality, the ability to play above the rim, and great athleticism. But as Geller noted, he’s a bit sloppy as a route runner and needs to clean things up.
There is plenty of time to clean that up, as Mitchell is just 21 years old and doesn’t turn 22 until October. Along with his size, the testing numbers from Mitchell are off the charts. He measured in at 32 3/8-inch arms and clocked a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash, opening eyes at the Combine.
He capped a great day at the Combine with a 39-inch vertical leap and an 11’4″ broad jump, earning a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score from Kent Lee Platte, who does a terrific job with the RAS numbers for draft prospects. Mitchell’s Combine testing numbers ranked as the fifth-best ever out of 3,121 wide receivers to test from 1987 to 2024.
