INDIANAPOLIS – The learning process began in mid-April when the Indianapolis Colts convened for the start of their offseason workout program.
It resumes and accelerates July 24 when they report to Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield for training camp.
The objective: Be as locked in as possible for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Houston Texans.
It’s been an interesting and ongoing study between Anthony Richardson and Adonai Mitchell.
So much is expected from the quarterback with the small sample size but enormous potential and expectations, and the rookie receiver with game-breaking skills.
There was and is so much to learn.
Listen to Richardson’s assessment of Mitchell.
“I’ve seen him do a lot of things that I’ve never seen a receiver do,’’ he said last month during the veteran minicamp phase of the Colts’ offseason work. “He gets open a lot.’’
During rookie minicamp, Mitchell dominated, which was to be expected considering the second-round draft pick – No. 52 overall and the 11th receiver taken in April – was running routes against lesser-level defensive backs.
What was encouraging was there was no drop-off when rookies were subsequently thrown in against veteran DBs.
The 6'2", 205-pound Mitchell frequently used his strength to gain separation at the line of scrimmage and 4.3 40 speed – third-quickest at the NFL Scouting Combine – to get behind the coverage. He caught virtually everything thrown in his direction.
"Just the way he got in and out of his routes," said position coach Reggie Wayne. "He’s a guy that’s different from everybody that we have in our room, you know what I mean?'"
"I already knew his hands were strong. He’s got pretty good hands. To be 6'2" and to be able to get in and out of your breaks that way, it’s pretty special. He does it pretty good."
When competition amped up during veteran minicamp, Mitchell again provided highlight material. On a red-zone drill, he found a void in the back of the end zone, caught the attention of Richardson and snared a laser pass over cornerback Jaylon Jones while getting both of feet down for a touchdown.
"He has a lot of wiggle to him," Richardson said. “He’s fast. He’s a big receiver so it’s like, 'Just throw the ball to him. He’s going to go get it'."
"So, I’m excited to work with him this season."
The excitement and expectations are mutual when it comes to the 6'4", 244-pound Richardson.
Listen to Mitchell.
"Man, that dude a freak," he said with a wide smile. "I tell you, he’s like Create-A-Player. He’s like one of those players who can legit do anything on the field. You talk about arm strength, crazy arm strength. This man can roll right, throw on the opposite hash to the left."
"There’s a lot of stuff I haven’t seen before. You talk about just building chemistry like this, I’m excited. Every time I step on the field I’m like, 'Man, what are we going to get today?' I can’t wait to see it, I can’t wait to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to play with it."
There’s no overstating the importance of the quarterback and his receivers developing a synergy. There must be a shared comfort and confidence that the receiver will be where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. A quarterback must learn the nuances of his receivers.
It’s always a work in progress.
"It’s been fun just learning each other: what he likes to do, what I think as a receiver and just kind of mixing the two," Mitchell said. "Once we’re on the same page . . . if the whole offense is on the same page with that one man, it’ll be a very special year."
General manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen are anticipating Richardson making a full recovery from Oct. 24 surgery to repair a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. The injury limited him to four starts, 84 pass attempts and 173 offensive snaps.
Richardson was enjoying an uneventful offseason of throwing until experiencing soreness in the shoulder that forced him to miss the final minicamp session.
"I’m good," he said after his unscheduled day off. "I’ve been dealing with soreness since I started throwing."
Ballard insisted Richardson won’t have any restrictions when camp opens.
"He’ll be full go," he revealed during an appearance on the "GM Shuffle" podcast last month. "He was full go all the way up until the last days of OTAs. We had two heavy throwing sessions, so we backed off the last day."
While the level of the Colts’ success this season largely hinges on Richardson staying on the field and taking a quantum leap in year 2, Mitchell is expected to contribute early and often. In one season at Texas and two national championship seasons at Georgia, he averaged 15.1 yards per catch with 18 touchdowns. He averaged 15.4 yards on 55 receptions with 11 TDs last season for the Longhorns.
Mitchell joins a receivers room already occupied by Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin. Mitchell possesses a skillset – speed and a deep threat in the pass game – that should challenge Pierce for reps.
Mitchell's role in Steichen’s offense will become clearer as training camp unfolds. He admitted he's just "living my dream."
"Just wanting to get better," he said. "Just being the best me that I could be. Team success breeds individual success, but you can’t have team success if every individual isn’t doing their part."
"So, I just try to maximize my capability. I’m always looking to get better, always looking to learn . . . there’s always somebody out there that’s working harder than me, that’s thinking of doing some stuff that I haven’t even thought about doing or that just got the game."
"So, always trying to stay a step ahead."
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.