With offseason programs now behind us, let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand for the Indianapolis Colts. Next up are the wide receivers.
If you missed our other positional reviews, you can find them below.
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The Colts didn’t have a receiver who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards last season. However, they were the only team in the NFL to have three wideouts all surpass 800 receiving yards on the year.
While the quarterback position faces its own unknowns, the Colts have a strong wide receiver unit around whoever ends up under center. Adding to that is the combination of Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce, all bring a different skill set to the table, and that can be an added stressor for defenses to contend with.
Downs was again one of the most productive slot receivers in football in 2024. Pittman provides a reliable presence on short to intermediate routes, while Pierce was one of the best vertical threats last season.
If a team’s wide receiver room consists of an uber-talented, high-upside wideout being the fourth option on the depth chart, like the Colts have in AD Mitchell, that’s a strong wide receiver unit.
Speaking of AD Mitchell, what’s next for the Colts’ second-year wide receiver?
By all accounts, Mitchell put together a very strong showing during OTAs and minicamp. The biggest thing for him as he enters his second NFL season is being more consistent.
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As a rookie, dropped passes, not being on the same page with the quarterback, and off or mistimed routes were far too prevalent. As a result, Mitchell’s opportunities were limited, and in some games, he was the fifth wideout in terms of playing time.
But with that said, we also saw his ability to create separation, particularly against man coverage. With Mitchell’s combination of route-running abilities and speed, he is someone who can threaten all levels of the field and be a difficult matchup for many defenders.
“That he’s exactly who we drafted,” said Reggie Wayne about Mitchell’s ability to create separation. “A guy that can constantly get open. A guy that’s a threat and is special when it’s man-to-man. The next step is finishing catches. Making sure you’re on the same page as the quarterback. I think we spread it pretty evenly. Everybody contributes a certain way, but different from everyone else.”
However, in order to gain more opportunities, not only in terms of snaps and targets but what Shane Steichen asks of him as a route runner, more consistency is needed, and from the sounds of it, Mitchell has done that in the early going.
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With that said, one added challenge will be navigating the crowded receiver room he plays in. If Mitchell is making plays in practice, it will be up to Steichen to give him opportunities in games because he can add a different element to this Colts’ passing game. But even so, with Pierce, Pittman, and Downs ahead of him on the depth chart, there are only so many snaps to go around in an offense that doesn’t often use four receivers.
Alec Pierce is looking to expand his game
After emerging as one of the NFL’s most productive deep threats last season, an emphasis for Pierce this offseason has been on expanding his route tree.
Of Pierce’s total target share last season, nearly half of them came on downfield pass attempts, which was the second-highest rate of any receiver in football.
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Becoming a more well-rounded route runner will allow Pierce to impact other levels of the field and potentially do so in different ways, depending on what routes he’s asked to run.
This then not only creates more opportunities for himself, but the trickle-down effect is that Steichen gains more flexibility as he puts game plans together, and it can open up opportunities for others in the passing game as well.
“If I’m Alec,” said wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne, “my mission would be we shouldn’t have to swap and have Pitt run it–I can run it. So for me, that would be my goal if I’m Alec and he’s working on that.”
There is little mystery at this position
At this time of the year, there can be plenty of speculation around just about any position group when it comes to playing time or who will make the final roster.
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However, that isn’t the case at the receiver position for the Colts. This has been a unit where there has been really no mystery all offseason. It seemed like a given that Ashton Dulin would be back in free agency, and we can fairly safely say that the 53-man roster will consist of Pittman, Downs, Pierce, Mitchell, Dulin, and Anthony Gould.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts roster review: State of wide receiver unit after minicamp