Indianapolis Colts: Five Youngsters That Will Make the Leap in 2022

Leap week continues, and this time the focus will be on the slew of young talent that the Indianapolis Colts have on their roster.

The Indianapolis Colts have only made the playoffs one time since Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement prior to the 2019 season. They are now one of the most talented rosters in the league, but still have some work to do to get over the hump. As you know, the team added former NFL MVP, Matt Ryan, and former Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore. Neither guy is in his prime, but both provide immediate upgrades to a roster that came one game shy of reaching the postseason in 2021. Yannick Ngakoue also came over to Indy in a trade, reuniting with new Colts’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

Indianapolis Colts: These Five Players Will Determine How Successful the Team is in 2022

As far as the NFL Draft goes, general manager Chris Ballard added a crop of talented players. Even without a first-round pick, Ballard was able to add potential starters at left tackle, wide receiver, tight end, and safety. Bernhard Raimann, Alec Pierce, and Nick Cross all earned top-50 grades from me, and somehow they all found their way to the Shoe. Upgrades at every single position of need should help the team reach the playoffs, but it should also help each of these players that I am highlighting in this article. There are five guys that should take a jump in development in 2022, and most of them play at premium positions. If they all ascend, the Colts could find themselves hoisting the Lombardi.

1. Parris Campbell, WR (Age: 25)

Campbell has earned the label of injury-prone, and as unfair of a title as that is, it fits. Out of the 49 possible regular season games that Campbell could have played in, he only appeared in 15 of those. Three seasons in and he only has 34 career receptions and 360 receiving yards in total. So why is he listed here? The talent is not in question, and it never has been. Campbell is a great modern-day slot receiver prospect in the NFL. He is as fast as they come and when the ball is in his hands, he looks like a ninja while avoiding tackles and making defenders look silly. In his short amount of time on field, he consistently displayed strong separation skills.

In order to succeed and shed his bust label, Campbell simply must remain available. A play from 2021 that encapsulates Campbell’s career as a whole came in a week six battle versus the Houston Texans. Campbell caught a 51-yard touchdown from Carson Wentz, and on that play he was injured and forced to miss 10 games. Campbell is an extremely talented player with extremely bad injury luck. If he can remain healthy, he will be the slot receiver in the offense. With the strong run game, and a budding-star at wide receiver in Michael Pittman Jr., even just the threat of Campbell’s speed will be enough to transform the unit. Here’s to hoping that the injury gods cut the former Buckeye a break in 2022.