Colts: 3 position battles that could have surprising endings

1. No. 5 Wide Receiver: Dezmon Patmon vs. Mike Strachan vs. JJ Nelson

The Colts have their first four spots at this position locked in, as the likes of speedster Parris Campbell and the solid Zach Pascal will back up Pittman and Hilton. The main candidate to take over the fifth spot, however, is still unknown.

In addition to a pair of talented undrafted free agents in Tarik Black and Tyler Vaughns, Indianapolis has a speedy vet in JJ Nelson in town to compete against two late-round draft picks in Mike Strachan and Dezmon Patmon.

Ultimately, the winner of this battle could be decided by what type of receiver Frank Reich is looking for.

The Colts must figure out what to do at wide receiver.

If he wants pure speed, Nelson will earn the job. If he wants solid route-running, look for Vaughns. The two best contested-catch receivers in this bunch are Black and Patmon, while Strachan is such a jaw-dropping athlete for his size that he could earn the No. 5 spot on his body alone.

Injuries will happen, and they could happen to a wide receiver corps that will be targeted heavily in a pass-happy attack from offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.

While Patmon and Nelson have the benefit of some NFL experience, that doesn’t make them locks to win the job.

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