2017 Breakout Player: Donte Moncrief
By Andrew Ites
Donte Moncrief has shown some promise in his early career, but injuries have prevented him from becoming a top WR. 2017 could be Moncrief’s breakout season.
Donte Moncrief was coming off of a very strong 2015 season where he gained 733 yards receiving and 6 TD’s, and Colts fans were expecting a big year from him in 2016.
He got hurt after only two games, but finished the season strong with 7 touchdowns before he got hurt again at the end of the year.
While Moncrief became a go-to red zone target, he only totaled 30 receptions for 307 yards as he never solidified his role in the Colts’ offense.
He is fully recovered from last season’s injuries heading into training camp, and he’s ready to step up as the team’s true number-two wide receiver behind T.Y. Hilton.
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Moncrief is an incredible athlete who ran a 4.4-second 40 yard dash at 6′ 2″ 221 pounds with a 39.5-inch vertical and a 132-inch broad jump coming out of Ole Miss in 2014.
Moncrief can continue to be a tough matchup in the red zone, but he needs to become more productive on a down-to-down basis. If he can do that, him and T.Y. Hilton could form one of the best wide receiver duos in the league.
Hilton will force opposing defenses to provide safety help over the top because of his ability to stretch the field with Andrew Luck‘s arm strength. This will give Donte Moncrief numerous opportunities against single-coverage next season where he can use his combination of size and speed to dominate less athletic cornerbacks.
Next: The Colts Biggest Training Camp Position Battles: WR and RT
However, Andrew Luck’s health is a major question mark heading into training camp, and Luck and Moncrief need to get some reps together before Week 1.
Moncrief is entering his fourth NFL season without ever gaining 1,000 yards receiving, but the Colts are expecting a big year from him and he could be a Pro Bowl candidate by the end of this season.