Georgia picked up its first wide receiver commit of the Class of 2021 when Adonai Mitchell flipped his pledge from Ole Miss to the Bulldogs. The four-star prospect from Nashville, Tennessee, will be one of few receivers taken in this class, after Kirby Smart and company signed five wideouts in the class of 2020.
Let's take a closer look at the film to see what Mitchell will bring to the Bulldogs.
CATCH RADIUS
The first thing that caught my eye when reviewing Mitchell's film was the ability to go up and get the ball in single coverage. A big part of the highlights consists of the 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver just going vertical and making a play on the ball. The Tennessee native does an excellent job catching the ball with his hands away from his body, to shield the defender. Mitchell also shows the ability to high-point the ball while in the air.
The ability to get his body in position, and the overall catching ability, reminds me of former Georgia receiver Javon Wims. Although Mitchell works the most at getting vertical, he also shows the ability to make tough, contested receptions over the middle.
ATHLETE
Whether Mitchell, the ninth-ranked prospect in the state of Tennessee, is lined up at wide receiver or wildcat quarterback, he shows the ability to make plays in open space. He's not quite the James Cook ankle-breaker-type of elusive, but he does show the capability of making defenders miss.
It's hard to actually tell just how fast Mitchell is on the field. He's a long stride type of receiver who covers a lot of ground. I would not list him as a burner, but he is more than capable of taking a top off the defense.
Georgia's offense over the last several years has focused on wide receiver blocking. I think the plan is to open the passing game up more under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but blocking from the position will still be important. In a few clips, Mitchell shows a willingness to do just that and be effective with it.
RAW
In my opinion, there's a reason Mitchell is a lower-tier four-star at this point in his career. This is a prospect that has an extremely high ceiling, but he is raw in some aspects of his game. The most notable is his route-running ability. Like I mentioned above, there are many instances in his film where he just runs vertical and makes a play on the ball. The positive side of that is, he does show the capability of running crisp routes; you just do not see it as consistently. There is no denying the athleticism though.
There are a handful of times that he did run a slant or post, when he shows the ability to plant his foot in the ground and make a smooth transition into the given route. You also do not see much bump man to man coverage, but that is understandable with his ability to get vertical on the defense.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really like this pickup for the Bulldogs, because of the upside Mitchell has. I do think his ability to go up and high-point the ball is similar of Wims, but his overall game reminds me of former South Carolina and current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. He is a prospect with the ability to play on the outside with his long strides and play-making ability, but also move in the slot and make tough contested catches over the middle.
He will not likely be a guy who comes in and plays immediately at the position. Especially with George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock, and the five guys from the class of 2020 with a leg up on him. I do think he could move into the rotation before seasons end if called upon. A lot of that will depend on his development as a route runner and understanding the offense the Bulldogs have installed. Even if he redshirts, I think Mitchell has a bright future for the Bulldogs.
