The Indianapolis Colts added Phillip Dorsett to the mix in the NFL draft for Andrew Luck and now he joins TY Hilton, Andre Johnson and Donte Moncrief as top options on offense and he could push to be a major contributor this season and this comes as the Colts are likely to work out a contract extension with Luck in the near future.
Coming into the draft many felt the Colts would address defense in the first rounds, as they struggled big time on that side of the ball last season. Ryan Grigson instead went for a position that many draft experts felt was deep for the Colts already at wide receiver by taking Dorsett. According to Pro Football Talk, Grigson said that the team felt Dorsett was a first round talent that should have been off the board already and that he would be a good fit for Luck on offense.
Dorsett is a burner and he put up some strong numbers in the 40-yard dash during his draft workouts and he could be a good third or fourth receiver for the Colts. While the position is deep already, looking at the roster one can start putting things together about what the Colts plans are. Johnson is long in the tooth and while he could be productive, there are question marks and Moncrief is young and only has one season in the league and has not proven anything yet.
Josh Alper at Pro Football Talk writes that the Dorsett pick could be about Hilton, as he is coming into the final year of his contract. Hilton has become the top wideout for the Colts and he has been a breakout player over the past two years and Dorsett could be some insurance in case the two sides can't agree on a deal. Hilton made some comments to the Indianapolis Star about the pick, saying that "nothing in the league should surprise anybody."
Griff Whalen, Vincent Brown and Duron Carter are also on the roster, but just like Moncrief, those players are not proven quantities either. Dorsett did not put up crazy numbers at Miami, but he showed off great speed and explosive ability while averaging 24 yards per catch last season. Dorsett had just 36 catches but ended up with 871 yards and 10 touchdowns and that is what the Colts will be looking for. Dorsett finished his career with over 100 catches for 1860 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons at the U.
Luck is in line for a contract extension this year, as he had his fifth year option picked up, but the team would like to get a long term contract done. Luck should end up getting paid in the range of the highest paid QBs in the league and this comes as Russell Wilson is also working on an extension. Those two players are the top quarterbacks from the 2012 draft and they are also the two best young quarterbacks in the game. Luck should end up getting paid major money from the Colts if they lock in a deal. Luck has a ton of new offensive weapons this season, including Frank Gore and Johnson.