Colts Sign First-Round Pick Phillip Dorsett

The Indianapolis Colts announced today that they have signed first-round pick Phillip Dorsett.

The talented wide receiver has already spent the past few weeks showing off his speed in practice and impressing during organized team activities. Dorsett was taken with the 29th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and was a surprise selection for a team that appeared to be stocked at wide receiver.

Dorsett played in 45 games at the University of Miami and started 30 of them. He joins fellow Hurricanes Andre Johnson and Frank Gore on the Colts (not to mention Chuck Pagano, who was a coach for Miami from 1995-2000).

Dorsett finished his college career with 121 receptions for 2,132 yards and 17 touchdowns. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch over his final two seasons which was the most in FBS (especially impressive considering the distinct lack of a quarterback in Miami). Dorsett also has experience as a punt and kick returner.

In his senior campaign, Dorsett had just 36 receptions, but 10 of them were for touchdowns. He also had 871 yards, a 24.2 per catch average, and played in all 13 games. His efforts earned him Second Team All-ACC honors.

Many were shocked when the Colts took Dorsett, simply because the team had much greater needs, specifically on defense. It was also surprising because Dorsett is basically a clone of T.Y. Hilton in the sense that they’re the same size and both burners. In all likelihood, Dorsett has a chance to make a bigger impact on the field than any of the defensive options that were available late in the first round.

The rookie wage scale has made contracts much easier to handle and we no longer see crippling deals for first round players who have never taken a snap in the NFL. The Colts have signed six of their eight selections so far and the final two should be wrapped up fairly soon. Only CB D’Joun Smith and DE Henry Anderson have yet to ink their contracts.