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Indianapolis Colts: Donte Moncrief’s 2016 Player Preview

By Garrett Hagan

Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Donte Moncrief (10) celebrates with receiver T.Y.Hilton (13) after scoring on a 26-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Donte Moncrief (10) celebrates with receiver T.Y.Hilton (13) after scoring on a 26-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game against the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indianapolis Colts training camp does not start until July 26th. So, there will not be much news about the team until then. As a result, it is time to preview the Colts’ players who will play key roles in 2016. It is Donte Moncrief‘s turn today.

The Indianapolis Colts will have wide receiver Donte Moncrief in their receiving core for the third consecutive year in 2016.

Moncrief — the Colts’ 3rd-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft — will more than likely wind up as the team’s No. 2 receiver behind T.Y. Hilton by the start of the regular season.

Through his first two years in the league, Moncrief has tallied 1,177 yards on 96 receptions, as well as 9 touchdowns.

While these numbers aren’t eye-popping at first glance, it’s worth noting that Moncrief had a better statistical season in 2015 than he did his rookie season that previous year. For those that are unaware, the Colts had their best season yet of the Andrew Luck-era in 2014, opposed to 2015 when Luck missed nine games and the Colts missed out on the playoffs.

Moncrief had 64 receptions for 733 yards as well as six touchdowns during his 2015 campaign — not bad considering he caught more passes from both Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst than Luck.

2016 Expectations

Being the No. 2 receiver on the roster behind Hilton, Moncrief will have high expectations to excel on the field this year.

Given the fact that he accumulated over 700 receiving yards and six touchdowns without Luck throwing him the ball for the majority of 2015, Moncrief should surpass those statistics.

It shouldn’t be too far-fetched for Moncrief to have a 1,000-yard receiving season, assuming that both him and Luck are healthy throughout the entirety of 2016. If Luck and the Colts’ offense clicks like they did in 2014 when they ranked amongst some of the league’s best, the receiving core can look forward to another successful season.

If all goes well with the team’s revamped offensive line featuring rookie center Ryan Kelly, the hope is that the line can create more time for Luck to throw the ball — thus opening up the passing game for Luck’s targets.

Next: Indianapolis Colts: T.Y. Hilton's 2016 Player Preview

The 2015 season was a disaster for not only Luck, but seemingly the entire Colts team as a whole. With Luck returning healthy for the upcoming season, he’s more than ready to prove the doubters wrong with another successful season — and it starts with him connecting with his receivers.

Moncrief showed flashes of being a downfield threat since entering the league in 2014. With another year of experience under his belt, fans should expect Moncrief to have potentially his best statistical season with the horseshoe.

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