Gang Green Nation
Adonai Mitchell had an inauspicious debut as a Jets wide receiver. A pair of potentially big receptions went through his hands and fell to the ground incomplete. Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, however, had some big things to say about the receiver.
“AD as a person is awesome,” OC Tanner Engstrand said. “He’s been phenomenal so far. Just like being around him, he’s got great energy, he’s got a great attitude. And to me, that’s where it starts. Like when I see him, I think he’s one of us.
“But if you want watch his performance last week, I got it – the drops. That happens occasionally, but what I see there is separation. I see separation, and to me, that gets me fired up, that gets me excited about that player and where he’s going to go. We just we haven’t even seen it. We haven’t seen it. We haven’t scratched the surface with that guy, and we’re excited about where he’s going to go.”
It certainly seems telling that the Jets asked the Colts to include Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner trade as a supplement for the two first round picks that were the deal’s centerpiece. In a deal like that, it is common for a late two two or early day three pick to come over in addition to the first rounders. Clearly this was a sign the Jets really like Mitchell.
Like many players on the team, this is now a question of player development. Mitchell has physical tools to be an X receiver in this league. Beyond the drops in the New England game, it looks on film like his route running is still a work in progress. There isn’t a ton of nuance I see. Engstrand is clearly bullish on the team’s ability to coach Mitchell up.
