Two Young Colts Could Take Passing Game 'To Another Level'

The Indianapolis Colts have the skill position players on their roster to run a functional passing game; it's up to the quarterback play whether or not the group can operate smoothly.

Last year was a great example of the skill group being hamstrung by the play under center. The Colts' offense ranked 25th in passing (197.7 YPG) and comfortably dead last in completion percentage (56.3%). They are in danger of reliving the same passing attack if the play of Anthony Richardson and/or Daniel Jones doesn't get any better. If it does, then there are two young players could make a significant difference in taking the passing game from functional to game-changing.

"The receiver spot has really good balance," wrote SI.com's Albert Breer, who was on-hand for the Colts' practice on Saturday. "Fourth-year pro Alec Pierce looks the best he has headed into a contract year, and the team knows what it’s got with Michael Pittman and Josh Downs. Really, from there, there are two guys who could take the passing game to another level."

"One is second-year pro Adonai Mitchell, a big, fast, smooth target who’s still trying to put it all together," said Breer. "In team drills Saturday, he followed two bad drops with a catch-and-run over the middle where he snatched the ball and accelerated right through the teeth of the defense, outracing everyone to the sideline. The potential’s there, and at the very least, the Colts will use him as a matchup guy."

Mitchell is one of the most intriguing players on the entire roster. Gifted with physical abilities that rival few other NFL receivers, he is lauded for his explosiveness and ability to get open. It's what happens when the ball is in the air that's an issue.

Among NFL receivers with at least 50 targets last year, Mitchell ranked 85th overall out of 88 as a rookie, according to Pro Football Focus. His drop grade of 41.4 was 82nd. The passer rating of quarterbacks targeting Mitchell ranked 85th, and he's the only one of these 88 receivers who failed to convert a single contested catch opportunity.

Things haven't gone much better yet for Mitchell so far through the first week of training camp practices. He continues to have issues with drops and coming down with contested catch opportunities.

It's still early in Mitchell's career (and early in camp), however, and the Colts are optimistic they could still have a star on their hands, which leads us to Breer's next key player.

"And second, there’s the obvious—first-round tight end Tyler Warren," Breer continued. "The pads go on Monday, and that’s when Indy expects to really see Warren show up. The Colts plan to use him every which way, and be creative in getting the ball to him in space. How versatile is Warren? He’s shown them he can throw, punt, and even long snap."

Warren was used in a unique amount of ways for a tight end in college, and the vibe coming out of Indy is that they eventually intend to use him every way they can. He's been a standout so far in camp, often proving reliable for Richardson and Jones as a quick outlet in the passing game.

A big part of how quickly things can get moving in a positive direction for Warren is his chemistry with the quarterbacks, which so far, he has found easily.

“I think it’s good. It doesn't really make a difference – they are still both out there and you're going to get balls from both of them," Warren told reporters this week. "They are both really good quarterbacks, so it's easy to have chemistry with them, and it's been good.”

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