Colts rookie Adonai Mitchell chose his number solely to remind him of the teams that passed on him in the draft

NFL players often look almost anywhere for motivation. Even the slightest bit of disrespect can end up as bulletin-board material, and that definitely plays a part come game time.

For Colts rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell, he won’t have to look far to find that motivation.

The receiver from Texas was drafted in the second round with the 52nd overall pick, which made him the 11th receiver taken in the draft. So, when it came time to choose his number with the Colts, Mitchell knew exactly what direction to go given that his college number of 5 was already taken.

He’s going to wear No. 10, and there’s quite the reason for it.

That’s a wrap on Rookie minicamp. pic.twitter.com/8oFP3ygx7V

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 12, 2024

Mitchell is wearing No. 10 to represent the 10 receivers who were taken ahead of him in the draft. Every time he puts on his jersey, he’ll be reminded of how he felt on draft day and use that as extra motivation. He said via the Indy Star:

“Nobody got a name, nobody got a face. I’m not bitter about it or anything like that. Definitely, congratulations and happy for the people that got picked, but at the end of the day, it was between me and them, and they got picked. It’s all motivation.”

That’s certainly one way to find the motivation you need at the start of an NFL career.