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The Indianapolis Colts announced on Wednesday that the team has also signed wide receiver Gary Jennings and running back Benny LeMay to Reserve/Future contracts.
It comes just a day after the Colts announced the signings of safety Nick Nelson and tight end Jordan Thomas to similar deals.
Regarding Jennings, the 6’1”, 216 pound wide receiver was originally a 2019 4th round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks (2019). However, he’s also spent time with the Miami Dolphins (2019), Baltimore Ravens (2019), and Buffalo Bills (2020) organizations.
He appeared in 1 career game with the Dolphins during 2019.
He caught 54 receptions for 917 receiving yards (17.0 ypr. avg.) and 13 touchdown receptions during 11 games in his senior season with West Virginia in 2018.
The former Mountaineers’ 2nd-Team All-Big 12 (2017) and All-Big 12 honorable mention (2018) selection flashed elite measurables at the 2019 NFL Combine with a 9.43 overall Relative Athletic Score [RAS] (out of 10.0)—featuring a 4.43 forty time:
With pick 120 in the 2019 NFL Draft, the #Seahawks selected Gary Jennings, WR, West Virginia.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) June 11, 2019
He posted an elite #RAS with good size, good speed, great explosiveness, okay agility at the WR position.#Seahawks pic.twitter.com/iFl1yKRwJL
His SPARQ rating (which measures overall athleticism) in the 2019 draft class was the 14th best at his position, and he ranked in the 82.6% NFL percentile among wide receivers.
Meanwhile, Benny LeMay is a 5’9”, 215 pound running back, who was previously worked out by the Colts in early September of this season:
[LeMay] finished with 1,082 rushing yards on 193 carries (5.61 ypc avg.) and 9 rushing touchdowns during 11 starts for the UNC Charlotte 49ers in 2019.
He led Conference USA in all-purpose yards, finished 2nd in the conference in rushing yards, and earned First-Team All-Conference USA honors. He was also named the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl Offensive MVP.
LeMay finished as UNC Charlotte’s all-time FBS career rushing yards leader (3,232) and graduated second all-time in school history for total touchdowns (28).
He’s regarded as a tough runner between the tackles—with balance and cutting, but may lack top shelf explosiveness—and may be best suited as a backup rotational rusher.
Unlike Jennings, LeMay lacks elite athleticism with a 1.16 RAS score and a 2.1% NFL percentile rating in SPARQ. However, he’s gotten this far by being highly productive at the collegiate ranks.
The undrafted rookie rusher from UNC Charlotte was previously signed by the Cleveland Browns and was a member of their practice squad during the 2020 season.
Both should provide additional positional depth and promote overall competition to this offseason’s Colts roster—which hopefully doesn’t start for a while.