Colts Moncrief Maybe Next Man-Up

If Colts’ wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who is currently nursing a sore elbow, is going to miss a game or two, the team will likely turn to rookie wideout Donte Moncrief for extended playing time. Moncrief, who was the team’s 3rd round pick this year out of Ole Miss, has looked good in his limited playing time this season. On the year, he has 9 receptions for 103 receiving yards (11.4 ypr), as well as 2 rushes for 7 yards. His biggest game of the season came in Week 3 against Jacksonville, in which he had 4 receptions for 55 yards in a 44-17 Colts’ win.

At the tender age of 21, and a listed 6’2″, 221 lbs, Moncrief boasts incredible athleticism and measurables:

Player A is of course, Sammy Watkins, the 4th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Player B is, you guessed it, the Indianapolis Colts’ very own Donte Moncrief. He had one of the best NFL combines at wide receiver that a prospect has had in recent memory as far as his measurables are purely concerned. ESPN Draft Analyst Todd McShay commented during this past year’s draft process:

"“Moncrief is one of the most impressive work-out freaks that you’ve ever seen at the wide receiver position. Moncrief did not play all that well this past year [at Ole Miss]. But if you’re a metrics guy, he’s the first pick of the draft.”"

It’s never been an issue of physical ability for Moncrief, rather it’s whether he can consistently put that ability together on a game-by-game basis. Playing wide receiver is more than pure athletic ability, just ask Jerry Rice. However, measurables like the aforementioned certainly don’t hurt one’s cause.

Moncrief already received more snaps than veteran Colts’ wideout Hakeem Nicks last weekend against the Bengals (23 to 19), although some of those were admittedly during “garbage time” with the game already well decided. However, if Wayne is out, it won’t matter the snap-count breakdown, as both Moncrief and Nicks will receive ample playing time in both 2 and 3-wide receiver sets.

The burning question now is, will Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers be when the Colts finally #FeedMoncrief?