Colts Keep Wide Receiver Pipeline Alive and Well with T.Y. Hilton's Emergence

The NFL's top passing pipeline is in the Midwest, in the city once nicknamed the "Crossroads of America." Indianapolis, home to the nation's first Union Station, has fielded a prodigious passing offense powered by two elite quarterbacks and three receivers for what is approaching two decades. 

The league's most enviable passing succession plan transitioned from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck at quarterback, and from Marvin Harrison to Reggie Wayne to T.Y. Hilton at receiver. And since 1999, the Colts have ranked in the top five in scoring 10 times, including No. 3 this season.

"We knew exactly what we were looking for," said Bill Polian, the architect of the pipeline as the Colts general manager. "We were able to develop a template for each position."

Though he inherited Harrison, Polian picked Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft, and the pairing flourished in 1999, with the veteran receiver topping 1,100 yards in each season until 2006. In 2001, though, Polian selected Wayne at the end of the first round. And from 2004 until 2012, Wayne averaged 1,240 receiving yards per season.

But even after Polian's ouster in 2011, new general manager Ryan Grigson selected Luck with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft—a no-brainer at the time—but what he did after that pick has defined his success as a GM to this point.

"The Indianapolis Colts had 13 years of Peyton Manning and now they've got Andrew Luck. That's potentially 30 years of elite level of quarterback," said former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick, who is now an NFL Network analyst. "They put their resources around that lead dog to the exclusion of the defense.

"My gosh, if I could have gotten that, I'd still be coaching."

And by "that," he also means the next star receiver in Indianapolis and the young man who is well on his way to ascending to the same heights as Harrison and Wayne before him.

Laying the Groundwork

DARRON CUMMINGS/Associated Press

In 1995, the Colts finished 9-7 and reached the AFC title game. To get there, they edged the Kansas City Chiefs, 10-7, but were then defeated, 20-16, by the Pittsburgh Steelers. There simply wasn't enough offense to go around, and the Colts front office realized that.

Though the Colts had future Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, their leading receiver was Sean Dawkins, who caught 52 passes for 784 yards that season. To break through, they needed a new No. 1 target who could elevate their passing game.

And as fate would have it, they got even more than that.

With the 19th overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft, then-Colts general manager Bill Tobin selected Marvin Harrison out of Syracuse. He wasn't the biggest (6'0", 185 lbs), but he was quick, clocking 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Syracuse, and he possessed another key that NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy highlighted.

"You can't bring in a talented athlete who is fast and gets open but only catches it 75 percent of the time," said Dungy, the Colts head coach from 2002 to 2008. "When you're built on throwing, you can't afford drops."

AJ Mast/Associated Press

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Harrison averaged 84.8 catches per season, second all time to Sterling Sharpe, and he holds the single-season reception record with 143 in 2002.

No one was more grateful for that than Manning, who developed one of the most dominant connections with Harrison that any quarterback-receiver tandem has ever enjoyed. He and Harrison own the records for completions (953), touchdowns (112) and yards (12,756), decimating NFL secondaries in the process.

Though fiercely quiet and private, Harrison mentored his fellow receivers, which Dungy said was vital to the Colts' continuity. It also helps that one coach, Clyde Christensen, has been involved with the passing offense as an offensive coordinator or receivers or quarterbacks coach since 2001.

That also happened to be the year the Colts selected Wayne toward the end of the first round. Wayne never topped 1,000 yards at the University of Miami, which boasted a constellation of offensive stars: Clinton Portis and Najeh Davenport at running back, Wayne, Santana Moss and Andre Johnson at receiver, and Jeremy Shockey at tight end.

But Polian said Wayne ran better routes than any other receiver in his class and also had "phenomenal hands."

"(Longtime offensive coordinator) Tom Moore said, 'We have the most accurate quarterback maybe in history,'" said Polian, now an analyst for ESPN. "'Why do we want someone who can't catch the ball?'"

Like Harrison, Wayne was 6'0", though a bit thicker (200 pounds) and a tick slower (4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash). But Harrison, at least by example, showed Wayne the intricacies of thriving in the Colts offense and exploiting opposing defenses.

Season	Receiver	Yards	TDs
1994	Sean Dawkins	742	5
1995	Sean Dawkins	784	3
1996	Marvin Harrison	836	8
1997	Marvin Harrison	866	6
1998	Marvin Harrison	776	7
1999	Marvin Harrison	1,663	12
2000	Marvin Harrison	1,413	14
2001	Marvin Harrison	1,524	15
2002	Marvin Harrison	1,722	11
2003	Marvin Harrison	1,272	10
2004	Reggie Wayne	1,210	12
2005	Marvin Harrison	1,146	12
2006	Marvin Harrison	1,366	12
2007	Reggie Wayne	1,510	10
2008	Reggie Wayne	1,145	6
2009	Reggie Wayne	1,264	10
2010	Reggie Wayne	1,355	6
2011	Reggie Wayne	960	4
2012	Reggie Wayne	1,355	5
2013	T.Y. Hilton	1,083	5
2014 (through 14 games)*	T.Y. Hilton	1,345	7

"It goes right down the line," Dungy said. "You've got years of, 'Hey, this is how we do it. This is how you practice, study and learn your craft.'"

Polian said Harrison and Wayne had a couple of traits in common: high intelligence and strong work ethics.

"Marvin and Reggie led the pack in work ethic," Polian said, "and they had the perfect quarterback with them because he was exactly the same way."

Though clearly beneficiaries of playing with Manning, Harrison and Wayne would shine in other offenses, Billick said.

"Harrison and Wayne are both potential Hall of Fame receivers," Billick said. "Obviously, Peyton Manning was a huge part of that, but I think their credentials could stand on their own. They would be guys that—with another quarterback in another system—would continue to be successful."

"We're not that clairvoyant," Polian said of the Colts' success in picking players. "We wanted players who could win and have a good career. If you get eight years, you've been terrifically successful. No one can predict Hall of Fame or longevity."

That last part is true of any player on any team, and Indianapolis' fresh new faces of the franchise are no exception. But predicting the future of a healthy Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton isn't that difficult.

Smoothest of Transitions

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

During the 2009 offseason, Dungy retired, and Harrison was released. With Manning sidelined with a neck injury in 2011, the Colts started 0-13 and posted a 2-14 record.

A day after the regular-season finale, Polian was fired.

But the pipeline remained due, in part, to continuity on the coaching and scouting staffs. New Colts head coach Chuck Pagano retained Christensen, and Bruce Arians, who had been Manning's quarterbacks coach from 1998 to 2000, was hired as offensive coordinator. In the scouting department, Grigson retained Tom Telesco, one of Polian's top personnel lieutenants.

After Manning left via free agency, the Colts fortuitously landed the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, and they selected Luck out of Stanford.

That was a relatively easy decision.

The next few, though, were considerably harder, as Grigson attempted to reload the Colts offense.

David Richard/Associated Press

Grigson spent the Colts' second-round pick on tight end Coby Fleener, who starred at Stanford with Luck, then traded into the bottom of the third round. It was with that pick that he unknowingly ensured the future of a position that has been a cornerstone of the Colts franchise since Harrison's arrival.

It was by chance that Hilton and Luck ended up in the same draft class, but the diminutive wideout doesn't take for granted the fact that he entered the draft the same year as Luck. 

"We complement each other," Hilton said of Luck. "For us to have this relationship, coming in together, it's great. Hopefully we can play together for a long time."

Polian's son, Brian, was the special teams coordinator at Stanford in 2010 and 2011, so Bill Polian got to see Luck up close.

"I said then that he was a 'can't miss,' and I say now that he's clearly the heir apparent to Manning and (Tom) Brady," Polian said. "There's no question about it. All the questions about that have been answered.

"The only question is if he is going to play 14 or 15 years like (Manning and Brady). The only thing that will derail (Luck) is injury."

As for Hilton, Polian is cautiously optimistic. He recognizes the explosive speed (4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash), and he sees the route running. He's not sure, just yet, if Hilton's hands are as exceptional as Wayne or Harrison—but then again, few ever have been.

"With T.Y., it's the perfect storm," Dungy said. "It's the skill set he brings, combined with the quarterback who can take advantage of that. It's beautiful to watch."

Star or System? 

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

After Hilton torched the Houston Texans for 223 yards in a Week 6 victory, Pagano dubbed his budding star receiver "The Ghost." Considering how he often winds up behind defenses seemingly unnoticed, it's as fitting as any nickname in the game.

Hilton—true to his personality, true to his roots—embraced the nickname. He did, after all, pick upstart Florida International University over West Virginia University, and the receiver largely dropped into the third round because of a torn quad just before the 2012 NFL combine. His entire football career, to this point, has been shrouded in many ways.

"They say everything happens for a reason. I'm very happy," Hilton said. "Lucky me, I ended up here, playing with a great organization."

Luck certainly has something to do with it—but it's the player, not the noun. The instant-superstar quarterback leads the NFL in passing yards (4,492) and passing touchdowns (38), with a passer rating of 97.5.

But Hilton is a headache himself, according to Texans coach Bill O'Brien.

"Go through the list of guys we've gone against," O'Brien said last week, alluding to talented receivers his team faced such as Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Jeremy Maclin and A.J. Green, among others. "(Hilton is) right there at the top, in my opinion."

O'Brien said one of the maddening things about defending Hilton is his ability to play multiple receiver spots. Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton will line Hilton up all over the field, sometimes motioning him out of the backfield.

"It's kind of like…how we move [J.J.] Watt around," O'Brien said. "It's hard to locate him."

Luck called Hilton "crafty," noting Hilton's body control and knack for putting up his hands at the last second so he doesn't tip off the defensive back on him. It's one of many things Hilton does deceptively well.

The Colts definitely liked Hilton, but they certainly couldn't have projected this sort of success. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made him the 13th receiver taken, 92nd overall.

via Stat Milk

Though somewhat overlooked coming out of the draft, Hilton arrived in Indianapolis with a pivotal endorsement.

Mario Cristobal was a graduate assistant at the University of Miami when Wayne starred there. Cristobal was also the head coach at Florida International when Hilton starred there.

So Cristobal gave Wayne a scouting report on Hilton during the 2012 offseason, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Coach Cristobal loves him," Wayne told Colts.com's Kevin Bowen. "He said, 'Man, you got the right guy.'"

Cristobal said Hilton was a hard worker who doesn't say much—a man after the veteran Wayne's own heart. Wayne, though, noted that Hilton isn't shy about asking questions and taking notes in meetings.

"He's a true professional already," Wayne said.

Mostly soft-spoken during an interview, Hilton became most animated when asked what lessons he's learned from Wayne.

He highlighted two points:

1. "When your number is called, make sure you're ready," Hilton recalled. "I took it and ran with it." Though he only started one game as a rookie, Hilton notched his first touchdown and first 100-yard game in Week 3, and he finished the season 139 yards shy of 1,000.
2. "Be a professional, be on time, know your role," Hilton paraphrased. "I try to always be a step ahead," Hilton said. Accordingly, Hilton shows up to scheduled meetings 15 minutes early. He's not one to let his success lead to complacency.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Hilton also said Wayne has helped him to learn the nuances of route running. This season, Hilton has focused on coming back for the ball.

More importantly, though, Hilton has appreciated Wayne's willingness to help him off the field too. They text often, and they go over the game plan the night before games.

"He's a great guy and a great guy to look up to," Hilton said. "I call him my big brother. I enjoy the time I have with him."

Truth is, when he was a kid, Hilton created himself in Madden and plugged him into the Colts offense as the slot receiver, with Wayne and Harrison on the outside and Manning as the triggerman, as Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated's The MMQB reported last month.

Hilton, 25, insisted he doesn't get caught up in statistics. But his 1,345 receiving yards are fourth-best in the NFL, and he's just 165 yards shy of Wayne's single-season high. He may be nicknamed "The Ghost," but Hilton's not sneaking up on anyone anymore, even though he doesn't feel he's "arrived."

"I'm just always trying to get better," Hilton said. "I don't know where I'm at; I don't look at stats. I just make sure I'm there to make the next play." 

For 16 years, Sean Jensen served as a beat writer or NFL columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Chicago Sun-Times. He has also been an NFL contributor or columnist for AOL Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.