PFF praises Colts’ ability to find value atop this year’s NFL Draft as major takeaway

Did the Colts strike gold with their recent first two picks of pass rusher Laiatu Lau and wideout AD Mitchell?

According to PFF, their biggest takeaway regarding the Indianapolis Colts is general manager Chris Ballard’s ability to find value atop the NFL Draft—particularly as it relates to the first two rounds with their selections of UCLA edge Laiatu Latu and Texas wide receiver AD Mitchell:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: VALUE AT THE TOP OF THE DRAFT

The Colts came into the 2024 draft needing top-tier talent at wide receiver, cornerback and edge defender. While they waited until Day 3 to select coverage help, they did bring in premier players at the other two spots.

Their first-round pick, UCLA edge Laiatu Latu, was rightfully the first defensive player off the board. He was college football’s best defender over the past two seasons and finished 2023 with a 96.3 overall grade that is unmatched in PFF college history.

In the second round, Indianapolis may have gotten a steal in Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. He ranked fourth among wide receivers on PFF’s big board yet was the 11th player selected at the position. He has massive potential as a savvy route runner with excellent size. The Colts got it right by drafting talented players at premium positions.

Ballard was laughing all the way to the bank, when UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu fell all the way to the Colts near midway through the first round. Indianapolis didn’t want to miss out by trading down, electing to make him the first defensive player chosen in this year’s class. There wasn’t a lot of buzz on Latu to the Colts, but most experts didn’t expect him to actually be there at #15 overall, but Indianapolis gladly obliged taking him.

While he doesn’t fit the ‘long-armed’ Ballard pass rushing prototype of year’s past, Latu is a better athlete than he’s credited for and requires a lot less projectability than recent Colts projects, as he’s polished as a pass rusher—featuring an arsenal of moves and counters at his disposal. He comes in with a clear plan of attack against opposing offensive tackles and should make an immediate impact for Indianapolis as a subpackage and nickel sackmaster.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot to like about AD Mitchell, particularly with him sliding all the way to the 52nd overall pick of the second round because of ‘maturity concerns’—which of course, Ballard explicitly debunked following ‘Day 2’ of the Draft. Mitchell has the ability to change direction at the top of his routes without losing any speed, separate from defenders, while also displaying elite body control and sure hands. While rookie wideouts can take some time to develop, Mitchell could provide immediate competition for incumbent Alec Pierce and push for reps opposite outside Michael Pittman Jr. regarding the #2 wide receiver role—a position the Colts could use more consistent production from going forward.

While Colts fans have criticized this current scouting regime’s approach to filling non-premium positions with premium players, the Colts swung big on two incredibly gifted prospects at positions that really matter in today’s modern day NFL: pass rusher and wide receiver.

The only that thing that was really surprising is they didn’t address cornerback, but the value and talent was likely too good to pass up with either of their first two picks.