Colts players offer mixed reactions to Phillip Dorsett pick

Competition in the Indianapolis Colts' wide receivers' room thickened last Thursday when the team used its first-round pick on one of its deepest positions. Suffice to say when Phillip Dorsett's name was called, many were surprised.

Was T.Y. Hilton among them?

"There's nothing I can do about that," Hilton said Wednesday of last week's draft pick. "That's who they picked. That's cool with me."

Hilton could be among the Colts most impacted by Dorsett's arrival. Coming off the best season of his three-year career, Hilton is entering the last year of his rookie contract. To be sure, a big payday awaits one of the league's most talented young wideouts.

Whether or not that comes with the Colts remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Dorsett arrives this week with a skill set that is similar. He is 5-10 to Hilton's 5-9, 185 pounds to Hilton's 178, a 4.33 40-yard dash runner at the NFL Scouting Combine compared with Hilton's 4.34.

Even Dorsett's father, also named Phillip, said he was shocked last week when the Colts called his son's name. The reason? Indy's loaded at the position. Beyond Hilton, a Pro Bowler last year — 3,289 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons — the Colts have Donte Moncrief coming off a promising rookie campaign on top of new arrivals Andre Johnson (a seven-time Pro Bowler) and CFL signee Duron Carter.

Do they really need one more target?

Colts' brass believed so. Dorsett, in their eyes, is that talented.

"Nothing in this league should surprise anybody," Hilton said. "(It was) a pick that they thought we needed, so I guess that's what we needed to help this team."

Hilton added that he hasn't met Dorsett just yet – both are South Florida natives – and he's eager to welcome his new teammate into the fold. Dorsett arrives in Indianapolis on Thursday for a three-day rookie minicamp over the weekend.

"I haven't really watched him, (but) I know he's fast," Hilton said. "I think we're deep (at the receiver position). All of the guys can go out there and play. It's going to be fun; it's going to be a battle."

Hilton, the team's No. 1 receiver, is due a base salary of $1.5 million this season. His market value is unquestionably higher.

One Colt that has seen Dorsett in action is Johnson. The two former University of Miami players were around each other on a daily basis this winter in the weight room at their alma mater. Johnson was the not-ready-to-hang-it-up veteran, anxious to start fresh with a new team; Dorsett the eager youngster anxious for his NFL career to start.

He peppered Johnson with questions, the two oblivious they'd be teammates in two months time.

"He seems kind of like a gym rat," Johnson said of Dorsett. "Some days, you'll be like, 'Go home and get some rest,' and he's still in the weight room, trying to get better as a player. It'll be great to have him in here."

Johnson was then asked if he's ever been a part of a receiving room this talented.

"Not since college," he said, referring to the absolutely-loaded group of receivers he teamed with at Miami that included former NFL stars Reggie Wayne — the Colts' all-time leader in games played — and Santana Moss.

Likewise, you won't hear Andrew Luck complaining. The Colts quarterback has a new weapon at his disposal – and this comes a season after Indianapolis led the league in passing offense. Yes, in one regard, the rich just got richer.

Luck reached out to Dorsett shortly after the draft, calling to introduce himself and share how excited he was to add him to the arsenal.

"I know Phillip's going to be a stud," Luck said. "Runs like the wind. Tracks the ball in the air. Makes big plays. Quality, quality guy.

"I'm super stoked," Luck added. "There are a bunch of playmakers in this locker room, there really are."


(indystar.com)