The University of Mississippi Athletics
Donte Moncrief To Colts With 90th Overall Pick
5/9/2014 | Football, Blog
RT to welcome Donte Moncrief to #ColtsNation! #ColtsDraft pic.twitter.com/UAnQUR2dHq
-- Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 10, 2014Former Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 90th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the 14th wide receiver selected in the draft. Here's his NFL.com draft profile.
"I am so excited to see our rich tradition of NFL Rebels continue with Donte," head coach Hugh Freeze said. "With this hard work and dedication, I expect him to join fellow Ole Miss greats Mike Wallace and Dexter McCluster as successful receivers at the next level. I appreciate the commitment and leadership Donte provided our program in helping lead us to back-to-back bowl wins, and I can't wait to watch him excel for the Colts."Â
Here's what ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay had to say after the pick was announced:
"Donte Moncrief has first-round ability, first-round talent," Kiper said. "He looks great physically. He didn't take over games. He didn't play to his measurables. He has the speed and explosiveness. He has to go out and maximize that ability. He has too much talent for a corner to neutralize him on ability. He had games where he flashed first-round ability. With those measurables, Donte Moncrief will go out and take over games on a regular basis."
"For all those guys who look at the analytics versus the tape, there's a place for both," McShay said. "The analytics are highly helpful when you're talking about overall ability. You can't take the number over what you see on the tape, but some people put more stock into Moncrief than others. This is about where he belongs. You look at his numbers. They're outrageous. Across the board, he was among the elite, if not the top performer, in everything he did at the combine. There's a lot of talent to work with."
Here's some reaction from Twitter after the pick was announced:
#Colts add needed depth at WR with Donte Moncrief. Nice size.
-- Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) May 10, 2014Very proud of Donte! Can't wait to see him continue our rich tradition of #NFLRebels with the @Colts.
-- Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) May 10, 2014I'm sure Moncrief would have liked to go a little higher, but the Colts seem like a pretty good fit.
-- David Brandt (@davidbrandtAP) May 10, 2014#Colts fans just got a steal in the third round taking @donte_moncrief ! Great hard working fit for the organization
-- Bradley Sowell (@Bradley60Sowell) May 10, 2014Ryan Grigson points to Donte Moncreif's 16-yard yards per catch in 3 SEC seasons. Grigson says you can't teach that frame and speed.
-- Kevin Bowen (@KBowenColts) May 10, 2014Grigson said Moncrief taken because of ability, not just because of futures for Wayne, Nicks. "Can't coach 6-2, 223. He'll work, learn."
-- Craig Kelley (@CraigKColts) May 10, 2014Grigson on Moncrief: He's stable. Football is his life. He can separate. Our scouts liked this guy from sophomore film.
-- Craig Kelley (@CraigKColts) May 10, 2014Grigson said if it wasn't Moncrief at 90, they had one other player they really liked and the next option was trade down.
-- Kevin Bowen (@KBowenColts) May 10, 2014Donte Moncrief is fifth @OleMissFB player all-time drafted by @Colts, including franchise tackles leader @JeffHerrod54 in 1988. #NFLRebels
-- Kyle Campbell (@CampbellKyle) May 10, 2014Just got off a conference call with Donte Moncreif. He said the @Colts came down to Oxford for a private workout during the draft process.
-- Kevin Bowen (@KBowenColts) May 10, 2014#ColtsNation, are you ready to see Andrew Luck #FeedMoncrief? http://t.co/aVU4or5lAv
-- Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) May 10, 2014
