Why the Rams might and might not be interested in drafting Adonai Mitchell

The receiver is a highly talented draft prospect who has upside, but some question his dedication.

The NFL Draft is fast approaching and it’s never to late to look at players the Los Angeles Rams could consider. Is Adonai Mitchell, wide reciever out of Texas, the right player for the Rams? At this time he would appear to be going in the early rounds of the upcoming draft. PFF lists him as their wide reciever prospect #5. As always, we’ll note that projections can change, and there have some questions about him maximizing his effort (more on that later). Despite any potential concerns it’s assumed he will be drafted this year.

If you watch any of Mitchell’s highlights you can absolutely see why he is being tossed around as a potential first round pick. It’s not just the eye test though because he seems to have some numbers to back it too. Blaine Grisak notes that Mitchell’s Relative Athletic Score is similar to Julio Jones. In that same article Grisak notes that Les Snead was in the Atlanta Falcon’s organization when they drafted Jones. Could Snead want to take a shot at a comp player to Jones? Jones ended up working out very well for the Falcons afterall.

The Rams have plenty of picks, and the availablity to move up or down in the draft. Assuming LA doesn’t take a quarterback in the first round, then could the Rams load up with another weapon early? In last year’s playoff game the Rams scored, but they struggled scoring touchdowns in the first half. Could Michell be the type of player in the NFL with the catch radius to become a go to threat in the endzone? That’s the type of skillset any team can add.

There’s potentially a lot to be excited about with this player, however if everything was perfect then Mitchell would be a surefire first round pick, and I don’t know he is perceived that way (it’s all subjective). Another comparison (from NFL.com) I have seen for Mitchell is Pittsburgh Steeler’s receiver, George Pickens.

Pickens has shown immense talent at the NFL level, but he’s not come without controversy. Last year he drew some attention for not blocking on a play. That is the type of story no team wants to deal with. You cannot deny the talent though.

In all fairness Mitchell might not be like Pickens at all, and the comp may not be right. However it is in that same NFL.com profile for Mitchell they note this:

“The difference between becoming a WR2 or WR1 could rest on his urgency and willingness to go to work on the unpolished areas of his craft.”

Again, that statement might not be accurate but it’s there, and if NFL.com is writing those words, then I have to guess that NFL teams and staff are seeing them and or drawing their own conclusions. If the claim above is true then the question isn’t about Mitchell’s talent, it’s about his willingness to want to get better.

The Rams always talk about wanting guys with “the right stuff” and I think that means finding players with an internal motivation to constantly strive to improve. That precedent was set by players like Aaron Donald, but it’s really something that any player who wants to be the best they can be has: an internal drive to want to be the best they can be. Being your best doesn’t happen by accident.

If the Rams question Mitchell’s desire to improve then I don’t think they’ll select him. They also certainly have other needs. However if Mitchell checks LA’s boxes and or if LA thinks the reward outweighs the risk, then I can’t help but wonder what the offense can be with Mitchell playing off of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. I can’t help but imagine what Mitchell hauling in shots from Matthew Stafford would look like.

The talent is there. I suppose regardless of whether he ends up on the Rams or not I look forward to seeing if he’ll have everything else it takes to excel at the NFL level. First thing is first, let’s see where/if the young player gets drafted. The Rams will certainly be watching.