Indianapolis Colts' Rookies Will Be Critical for Super Bowl Hopes

Devoid of young, promising talent as a result of extensive free-agent activity and inconsistent draft results, the Indianapolis Colts desperately needed the 2015 draft to yield talent.

The NFL draft is a complicated animal.

The draft is the lifeblood of strong franchises. The most efficient way to build a team, of course, is to draft well, replenishing stockpiles of talent with young, cheap players.

It's also the cheapest and easiest way to add cornerstone players (blue chip) to a roster. Superstars rarely reach the open free-agent market, and when they do, the competition between teams creates an artificial rise in price.

This, of course, isn't even taking into consideration the value of having the ability to develop a player in the scheme and culture of a particular franchise, rather than having to retrain a veteran.

Clearly, the draft is important, and it was especially important for the Colts in 2015.

But at the same time, rookie classes don't usually make much of an impact. Drafts are key for long-term talent, not year-one production.

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That doesn't mean rookies can't have key roles, but the value is in the future, not simply the first year. This is the reasoning behind the "Best Player Available" strategy, which strays away from being dictated by a team's current need in favor of drafting the most talented player on the board. 

Talent, in the end, will win out. Rookies don't make or break a season.

All that being said, we've found ourselves at a place where the Colts rookies may have a profound impact on the team's fortunes. They won't make or break the season; the Colts' range of outcomes is already somewhat set by Andrew Luck and his bevy of weapons.

The rookies will, however, contribute heavily to where the Colts land in that range.

Fortunately for Indianapolis, most of those rookies started the season on a high note. Despite the team's 36-10 loss, the Colts' rookies had impressive showings.

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It started with rookie wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

With T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief sitting out, Dorsett started the game and ended up seeing 41 snaps, the most of any Colts skill player, per Pro Football Focus. While the overall poor level of quarterback play limited the upside of the passing numbers in that particular game, Dorsett did lead the team with four receptions for 51 yards.

The best thing about Dorsett's day, however, was the way that the Colts utilized him.

Known primarily for his speed coming out of college, Dorsett's usefulness in Indianapolis will primarily be stretching the field and keeping deep safeties from cheating over to T.Y. Hilton. But if he can be more than just a deep threat, it could move Indianapolis' potential offensive outcomes into historic ranges. According to Rotoworld's Evan Silva, "route diversity" was Dorsett's most notable attribute during his "preseason debut":

Dorsett ran a full route tree, taking advantage of large cushions with screen passes as well as getting free on deep breaking routes. Andrew Luck looked to Dorsett early and often, and that kind of trust and chemistry with a rookie wideout is not something to be ignored.

It was not all positive for Dorsett, of course. He did fumble one pass after a long gain, but that's something that can be fixed. All things considered, it was a good day for the speedster.

The Colts went heavy on defense after the Dorsett pick, and three defenders in particular could play big roles in 2015.

Henry Anderson and David Parry both project as backups to start the season on the defensive line, but both will push for playing time throughout the year. Not so coincidentally, both players flashed big talent against Philadelphia. 

The two combined for a positive 5.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in the game, including a team-high 4.3 grade for Parry. The fifth-round nose tackle was particularly impressive, finishing with four tackles, three of which were defensive stops (indicates an offensive failure).

Yes, the two were playing against second- and third-stringers, but showing the upside they did is exactly what you hope promising mid-round picks would do in that situation. If the two can become starting pieces for Indianapolis, it will be a huge boost to an otherwise bland defensive line.

Clayton Geathers, a third-round pick out of Central Florida, didn't have his best day, missing two tackles and occasionally taking questionable angles in pass coverage, but his role in the Colts defense became more clear. The ability to play in the box was clear, as was his flexibility. It was somewhat of a sloppy game, as it was by most of the team, but potential is there.

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And, of course, how long could we go without talking about Josh Robinson, who earned himself more touches in the Colts' backfield with an eye-catching day running the ball, including the Colts' only score.

The defenders are the real players who could make a small, but important, difference for 2015. By the end of the season, as the rookies get more comfortable and some veterans' bodies begin to break down, those young defenders could see more and more playing time as the playoffs begin.

If the team has more usable depth, especially defensively, they could avoid being run over in such an embarrassing way again.

Of course, perspective is key.

This is the preseason. Much of the players who played heavy snaps on Sunday won't be on a roster in a few weeks.

And, as discussed above, the Colts' rookies won't make or break the Colts' season.

But if they continue to play this well, earning more playing time and responsibility, we could see a rookie class that plays a large role in a Super Bowl run.