Colts 2016 player preview: Wide receiver MeKale McKay

The Indianapolis Colts will report to training camp on July 26 with their 90-man roster, which will be cut down to 53 players by the end of the preseason.  To pass the time until camp, we're taking a look at every player on the Colts' 90-man roster.  Today, we're looking at wide receiver MeKale McKay.

Who is he?

MeKale McKay (6-5, 210 pounds) was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Cincinnati earlier this offseason.  During his three seasons at the school (2013-2015), he played in 38 games and caught 87 passes for 1,717 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 19.7 yards per catch.  His best season came in 2014 as a junior, when he caught 44 passes for 725 yards and eight scores -€” all of which were career highs.  Before coming to Cincinnati, McKay played at Arkansas in 2012, where he started ten games (playing in 12) and caught 21 passes for 317 yards and two scores.

McKay has great size and raw athleticism that makes him an interesting prospect, though it's likely the fact that he is somewhat raw and that he had a dropoff in production in his senior season that led to him going undrafted.  The Colts picked him up, and head coach Chuck Pagano earlier this offseason pointed out his size in particular (Pagano called him "a big, tall guy").

What is his role?

The Colts have spots open at wide receiver for players like McKay to step up and earn, as the number four and five receiver positions are very much a competition.  There are other players who probably stand a better shot at winning one of those spots than McKay does, though the biggest thing he has going for him is his size.  The Colts' top three receivers (T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett) are 5-9, 6-2, and 5-10, respectively, and McKay is the tallest receiver on the Colts' 90-man roster at 6-5.  They have some size at tight end (Dwayne Allen is 6-3, Jack Doyle 6-6, Erik Swoope 6-5, Darion Griswold 6-5, and Mike Miller 6-6) so they could utilize that in the passing game to create size matchups, but if the Colts are looking for a tall receiver to add to the mix it might improve McKay's chances.  With that said, however, he's a long shot to actually make the 53-man roster.

What are his chances?

Slim, though there are wide receiver spots open for the taking.