Laiatu Latu and Adonai Mitchell.
One is a defensive end, and one is a wide receiver. One is 6-foot-5 and weighs 265 pounds, and one is 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds. One played college ball in California, and the other played in Georgia and Texas.
They aren't all that similar. But the attributes they share are the most important ones.
They're really good at football, they're exceptionally motivated and they have the potential to make a big impact for the Colts.
Oh, and they're both rookies who haven't played in a regular season NFL game yet.
That time is fast approaching, though – the Colts played their final preseason game of 2024 Thursday night, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-14 – and Latu and Mitchell gave Colts fans even more reason to look forward to the 2024 season.
Take the first few minutes of Thursday night's preseason finale, for example.
On the first drive of the game, Latu scampered around the Bengals' offensive line and sacked Cincinnati's starting quarterback for the day, third-string starter Logan Woodside, to force a three-and-out drive. On the very next possession, Mitchell scored a nine-yard touchdown after quarterback Anthony Richardson led a 12-play, 80-yard drive downfield.
It was Latu's first sack and Mitchell's first touchdown in the NFL. The fact that they were in the preseason? Irrelevant.
"When you get out there, whether it's a preseason game or a regular game, getting into pay dirt as a rookie is huge," head coach Shane Steichen said.
Latu and Mitchell had both showed out countless times during training camp practices, but it's always different to do it during a game. Because during a game, they can show the rest of the world what their teammates have known about them for months.
"He's been cooking," linebacker Zaire Franklin said about Latu. "He's a timeout waiting to happen. In my opinion he's a hell of a player."
"The guy's been working his tail off since he got here," Steichen said. "I mean, he can rush the passer like crazy."
It was only a matter of time before Latu got his first NFL sack; he showed he knows how to get past an O-line time and time again in training camp, and there was no doubt in anyone with the Colts' mind that would quickly transfer over into a live-game situation.
The same can be said for Mitchell and scoring touchdowns.
"Just at the right spot at the right time," Mitchell said. "Things happened the way they were supposed to."
That "right spot" was a wide-open area nine yards shy of the end zone, and Mitchell was able to easily run the short distance for the touchdown. He was tackled right before he crossed the line, and his helmet popped off his head just before he hit the ground, but the rookie popped right back up with a big grin and an even bigger yell.
"I was just fired up, dawg," Mitchell said. "It was just fun."
As part of his celebration, he spun the ball on the ground away from him before he hugged his teammates. He made sure to get it back, though.
"I'm gonna give it to my parents," Mitchell said. "Give my gloves to my parents. They get everything."
When Mitchell gets his first regular season touchdown, his parents will get that football as well, he said. Based on the way the Colts believe in their wide receiver, they might want to start clearing out a shelf.
As for Latu, well, it's a little more difficult to come away with physical evidence from a sack. It's not like you get to keep the quarterback's helmet, or any other part of their uniform, when you take them down. If you could, Latu's family could very well be clearing out a space of their own.
But at the end of the day, it's not the memorabilia that either Latu or Mitchell will think about. Instead, it'll be how they felt in the moment. It'll be how their teammates and coaches congratulated them. It'll be how they walked off the field with the confidence and belief that they can compete in the NFL.
And with 17 days until the regular season starts, it's hard to think of a better spot for the two rookies to be in.
