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Should T.Y. Hilton be Mad or a Mentor over Colts Drafting Dorsett?

By Luke Schultheis

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When the Indianapolis Colts selected Miami (Fla.) wideout Phillip Dorsett with the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, it was a move that surprised, even angered some of the team’s fans and perhaps even their players alike. While no players were specifically mentioned in Mike Florio’s ProFootballTalk report, it certainly appears that the team’s star young wideout in T.Y. Hilton may be among them in their discontent.

The Indianapolis Star’s Zak Keefer recently caught up with the Colts star young wideout and asked him what he thought of the team’s newly drafted 1st round wideout:

"“There’s nothing I can do about that,” Hilton said Wednesday of [Phillip] Dorsett. “That’s who they picked. That’s cool with me.”"

"“Nothing in this league should surprise anybody,” Hilton added. “It was a pick that they thought we needed, so I guess that’s what we needed to help this team.”"

It’s safe to say that those don’t appear to be the words of a wideout, who’s exactly thrilled with Dorsett’s recent addition. There should still be enough of Andrew Luck‘s passes to go around, but the drafting of Dorsett may hit Hilton where it hurts the most.

In the wallet.

The soon-to-be 4th-year pro is entering a contract year and figured to be compensated by the Colts as one of the highest paid wideouts in the NFL as an upcoming free agent. However, with Dorsett being highly regarded by top talent evaluators as a “T.Y. Hilton clone”, he may have just lost a lot of leverage at the negotiating table come next offseason.

The Colts are already on the hook for Luck’s looming mega-contract which is an absolute must-do and may not be able to give Hilton an overly lucrative new contract, much to his dismay. Hilton still figures to cash-in, and more than likely, it will still be with the Colts, but it’s no longer the seemingly surefire guarantee that it once was.

Hilton’s somewhat cold comments come just weeks after he openly proclaimed that he was going to fulfill the now departed veteran Reggie Wayne‘s mentor role, as one of the elder statesman of an incredibly young, yet talented group of Colts wide receivers:

"“…You know I don’t really have a choice, Hilton said at the beginning of OTA’s. “I’m the captain of the room, so I gotta make sure right now everyone’s on point. Make sure we’re on point with Andrew [Luck]. For me, whatever he taught me, make sure I’m teaching to everybody else because it’s only right. Marvin [Harrison] did it with him, and now he’s done it for me so I gotta pass on the torch.”"

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne (87) and T.Y. Hilton (13) against the Denver Broncos in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Colts defeated the Broncos 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially when he’s now discovered that one of the young guns could eventually end up taking his job if he’s not careful, or specifically gets overzealous in his new contract demands. No one could reasonably blame Hilton if he’s not wanting to be a willing teacher to someone who may take his job, as Joe Montana didn’t do it with Steve Young, nor Brett Favre with Aaron Rodgers.

While this situation appears to be a bit different, as there’s more than one starting position to go around, there’s still underlying circumstances regarding Hilton’s new contract. The point remains that anyone who’s competitive, especially a professional athlete of all people, isn’t going to always want to willingly train or teach someone who may eventually take their job.

Does Hilton have a right to be miffed?

Definitely to a degree, but it’s perplexing that it comes just weeks after he self-proclaimed he was the new mentor of the Colts receiving corps. His recent comments don’t seem quite befitting of such an anointed leadership role.

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