The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver room has plenty of question marks, but the team sees a high ceiling when it comes to the development of Ashton Dulin.
While the majority of Dulin’s impact has come on special teams during his young career, the former undrafted free agent has been making strides with his route running as the Colts enter the middle of offseason workouts.
Dulin has made a handful of plays down the field during the practices open to the media this offseason, and head coach Frank Reich sent some praise the wide receiver’s way on Wednesday.
“I think Ashton’s (Dulin) ceiling as a receiver is pretty high, I really do. Chris (Ballard) and I have felt that and he’s just continued to develop. Really excited about the work he continues to do, really the whole group,” Reich told reporters Wednesday.
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Dulin’s 4.43 speed makes him an intriguing addition to the wide receiver room. It’s partly why he’s had success on special teams over the last few seasons, and that has helped him carve out a role on the roster.
But now, the wide receiver room is wide open. Michael Pittman Jr. is the unquestioned leader while rookie Alec Pierce should be in line for the starting role relatively early in the season. Parris Campbell is still in the mix and while he’s flashed, the injury concerns are real.
This will allow Dulin to compete for the WR3/4 role in the room as he continues to make strides with his route running.
“Since my rookie year, I didn’t really know a lot coming from a small school but now I think being around veterans like ZP (Zach Pascal) and T.Y. (Hilton), those guys have taught me a lot as far as being under control, know how to run routes and being able to get in and out of my breaks,” Dulin said Wednesday.
Having Reggie Wayne as his wide receivers coach certainly helps as well, noting how much knowledge the future Hall of Famer has when it comes to attacking various coverages and leverages.
“I would say he knows coverages, he knows how to attack defenses. Just knowing where to be at the right time and then as well as top of the breaks. He’s a master at the comeback,” Dulin said. “So, just taking that from him and knowing he’s able to teach us those things and being able to take that to our game and be good with that.”
Dulin will be right in the thick of the wide receiver competition and with Matt Ryan at the helm, we could see some impressive development from the 25-year-old when training camp arrives.
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