Colts: Reggie Wayne and Jim Irsay’s throwback draft posts are awesome

Earlier this offseason, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay proclaimed seemingly without hesitation that he sees a “golden era” of Colts football unfolding before our eyes.

As galvanizing as those comments were, they were a little premature and a little disrespectful to the previous golden generation of Colts football.

You know, the one that was littered with superstars and went to the playoffs for nine straight years from 2002-2010?

Much like the current Colts, those juggernaut squads of the 2000s, which got over the championship hump in 2006, were built almost entirely through the NFL Draft.

With this year’s draft officially just one week away, some former Colts have taken it upon themselves to post throwback photos of when their respective numbers were called.

Former star wideout Reggie Wayne, in particular, took to Twitter to recall the moment he was drafted by the Colts back in 2001.

Not only that, but Wayne posted the first ever photo he took with Irsay, which was fittingly when he first touched down in Indianapolis.

Former Colts wideout Reggie Wayne posted an awesome throwback draft photo with owner Jim Irsay.

Forget mock drafts and mulling over which prospects would be a mistake for the Colts in the first round, THIS is the pre-draft content fans need. On a side note, does anybody else think the helicopter makes the photo? The engine was probably still scalding hot when it was taken.

That just further proves Irsay is all about business when it comes to welcoming a new draftee to the Colts organization.

The 61-year-old owner is also extremely active on social media in terms of talking football and engaging with fans, and Colts Nation will eat up his reply tweet to Wayne.

Irsay calling the Colts drafting Wayne “one of the best days in franchise history” might be viewed as a stretch to some fans, but can you really blame him? The former No. 30 overall pick was often overshadowed by Marvin Harrison, but he used that as motivation more than anything else.

When all was said and done, Wayne finished 10th in league history in both receptions (1,070) and receiving yards (14,345), as well as tied for 23rd in touchdown catches (82). As far as Colts history goes, he only trails Harrison for the top spot in those respective categories.

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of Wayne’s career was his tendency to show up in the biggest games. Forever remembered as one of the most clutch performers in playoff history, he ranks second all time in playoff receptions (93) and fourth in receiving yards (1,254).

With this awesome memory now fresh in the fans minds, let’s hope the Colts hit a similar home run with their No. 21 overall pick this year as they did with Wayne at No. 30 overall back in 2001.

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