If you were a wide receiver coming out of the SEC in the 2014 NFL Draft, you had a good chance of hearing your name called on draft weekend. Mike Evans (Texas A&M), Odell Beckham Jr. (LSU), Jarvis Landry (LSU), Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) and Donte Moncrief (Ole Miss) were all drafted in the first three rounds. 

Moncrief had a productive three-year career at Ole Miss, posting 900+ receiving yards in both his sophomore and junior years. In his final season at Ole Miss, Moncrief had 59 receptions for 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers were a slight drop from his sophomore year when he had 66 receptions for 979 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior in 2013, Moncrief had five games of 100 plus receiving yards.

Moncrief’s fall in the draft to the Colts at 90th overall was shocking to some as NFL.com projected him to get selected in either the first or second round. Going into the draft, the 6-foot-2, 221-pound wideout was praised for his size along with his speed and body control. At the NFL combine, Moncrief ran a 4.4 40-yard dash.

Despite those physical gifts, he ended up in a perfect situation going to a team that had a franchise quarterback in Andrew Luck and an offense that loves to throw the football around the field.

As a rookie in 2014, Moncrief played in all 16 regular season games but only started two. He was part of a Colts’ wide receiver corps that had T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne. Hilton was still coming into his own as a No. 1 receiver and Wayne was the old veteran still getting it done. Moncrief finished his rookie season with 32 receptions (44 targets) for 444 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Moncrief went on to start in 10 games in 2015 for a Colts’ team that was banged up and missed the playoffs. Luck was sidelined with an injury, so there was a rotating door at quarterback for Indianapolis, but that did not matter to Moncrief. Moncrief would be second on the team in receptions (64), receiving yards (733) and pitched in with six touchdowns. He also played 75.7 percent of offensive snaps, which was second behind Hilton. 

Last season, Moncrief showed off those physical gifts and intangibles that made him special at Ole Miss. In many games last season, Moncrief made the tough catches but also made something out of nothing, taking short passes the distance for touchdowns. He also became a reliable target in the end zone for the Colts as he was able to use his size and strength to his advantage against other teams’ cornerbacks. Moncrief was targeted 12 times and scored the majority of his touchdowns (5) in the red zone. 

Despite the Colts having Coby Fleener and a crowded wide receiver corps with Hilton, Andre Johnson and 2015 first round pick Phillip Dorsett, Moncrief emerged as a viable weapon.

Fast forward to this upcoming season, and there should be no reason why Moncrief can’t become a 1,000-yard wide receiver. The Colts do not have Johnson or Fleener, so it’s a prime opportunity for him to solidify himself as Indianapolis’ No. 2 wide receiver.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the Colts’ offense will be using three wide receiver sets more often under offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. With a three wide receiver set, this should give Moncrief more favorable matchups with opposing defenses having to adjust and playing more in the nickel.

Also this summer, Moncrief has said that he is running a 4.35 40-yard dash, which is scary to think about because a lot of defenses take his speed for granted. Even though, Moncrief does all his damage underneath, the Colts will find a way to let him to stretch the field.