Colts 2015 Player Preview: Wide Receiver Duron Carter

With Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton and talented second-year wideout Donte Moncrief already on the roster, veteran Andre Johnson signed in free agency, and exciting rookie Phillip Dorsett drafted in the first round, there's not a whole lot of room for some of the other wide receivers on the Colts' offseason roster to make the final roster.  Depending on whether the team keeps five or six wideouts, there could really be five players competing for one or two spots.

And in that competition, a player who stands one of the best shots to make the 53-man roster is another talented rookie who was signed as a free agent by the Colts this offseason in Duron Carter.  The son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, Duron took a long road to get to where he is today, as academic/off-field issues resulted in him landing at a number of different colleges before not making an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent.  As a result, he headed to the Canadian Football League for two seasons, where he excelled.  He caught 49 passes for 909 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2013, while in 2014 he caught 75 passes for 1,030 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He was a sought-after free agent this offseason and he ended up coming to Indianapolis to play with Andrew Luck.

Carter is a player with a lot of potential and talent that is reason for much of the excitement that has surrounded him since signing with the Colts.  He's clearly not there yet and still a raw player, but he certainly has the size 6-5, 205 pounds) and the physical talent to turn into a good receiver at the NFL level.  Of course, he's not guaranteed a roster spot and, again, it's likely that he'd start out as the fifth wide receiver, but he might be able to contribute right away as a deep threat while working on other aspects of his game.

Though he hasn't played a single down yet and wasn't drafted by the Colts, Duron Carter has generated quite a bit of excitement from Colts fans this offseason.  The talent makes that understandable, but we also have to realize that he'll be fighting for a roster spot in training camp and still needs work.  It's likely that he'll enter camp as a favorite to win that fifth wide receiver job over the likes of players such as Vincent Brown and Griff Whalen, but we have to acknowledge the competition in order to temper expectations a bit.  There's a ton to like about Carter, but he does need work and it remains to be seen just how much he could help the Colts immediately in 2015.