The Indianapolis Colts' wide receiver room is a good one. They just need a quarterback who can consistently and effectively get them the ball. Maybe Daniel Jones is that QB. The group deserves some quality.
But one wide receiver who was taken in the first round is likely to get the boot when roster cuts are made. He wasn't an Indianapolis first-round choice, but instead Laquon Treadwell was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in 2016. He managed to stick with the Vikes for four seasons while doing nothing.
Since 2020, he has played with five teams, and again...not done much. He has a history of getting hurt, and he has a history of being ineffective. He is 6'2" with good speed, but has iffy hands. His upside is tremendous and wasted.
Laquon Treadwell is a surprise star for the Indianapolis Colts in preseason Week 3
Now that he is 30 years old, one might wonder if the wasted first-round choice will even land with a team for a long time. He showed up in two games for the Colts in 2024, and he is still on the roster, but he will probably be part of roster cuts.
The frustrating thing about Treadwell is that he does have talent, and he proved that in Indianapolis's final preseason game of 2025. As a backup playing with other Colts offensive backups against the Cincinnati Bengals backups, Treadwell was arguably the best player on the field.
In the first half alone, he had six catches for 116 yards and a 59-yard touchdown reception. On the TD, he totally toasted his man deep in the middle of the field, and when quarterback Riley Leonard hit him with the pass, he was five yards clear.
59 yard tuddy for Riley. 🤯
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 23, 2025
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/WdYwpoX1gh
Laquon Treadwell is going to be one of those players who were the best that never was. He has more seasons of playing fewer than double-digit games than he has of playing at least 10. His career-best in receptions in a season is 35 in 2018. He has five touchdown catches in nine years.
And yet, he lives in that grey area between being worthy of sticking on an NFL roster and working at one's local Walmart. (That is meant as no offense to anyone who works at Walmart, for the record.)
But after being so excellent in a meaningless Indianapolis Colts game to close out the 2025 preseason, Laquon Treadwell might have proven he has meaning to some team. That might not be Indy, but somewhere during the regular season, fans will hear Treadwell's name called.