The Indianapolis Colts' excitement for Phillip Dorsett hasn't dissipated since the speedy first-round draft pick earned rave reviews for his work in offseason practices.
Appearing on Wednesday's edition of the Around The NFL Podcast, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport relayed a sentiment at Colts training camp that Dorsett's skill set is essentially a carbon copy of Redskins deep threat DeSean Jackson's.
"They could not be higher on Phillip Dorsett," added Rapoport, who was onsite in Anderson, Indiana, on Tuesday. "I think they think they added a superstar."
When Rapoport asked a Colts coach if he was surprised they didn't address a porous defense with their top draft pick, the response was, "Well, no. This guy's that good."
For the sake of comparison, Jackson was an instant sensation as an Eagles rookie in 2008, blowing past defenses and coverage units for 1,460 all-purpose yards.
The Colts' optimism goes beyond Dorsett's 4.33 wheels.
"He's got really good hands," coach Chuck Pagano said in May. "He's really smart. He's picked things up. He looks really good."
Whereas raw 2014 third-round pick Donte Moncrief struggled to gain Andrew Luck's trust last season, that won't be a problem for Dorsett.
"His football instincts and his ability to take the information from the meetings out to the practice field, I'll give him a double thumbs up from that standpoint," Hamilton said, via George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin, praising Dorsett's football aptitude. "He's a guy that our quarterback is starting to trust even more, and the more reps that he gets with Andrew the more he will be able to contribute in our offense."
Former Colts running back Edgerrin James, who counseled Dorsett at Miami, believes his protégé will make an instant impact at the NFL level.
"I tell him once he gets in that real good offense and he gets to playing, man, he's going to be unbelievable," James told Mike Chappel of WXIN in Indianapolis. "He works hard. He does it the right way. He's a good kid. He has a love for the game. You're not going to have to worry about him. Trust me on that. And Andre (Johnson) is going to mentor him."
Dorsett's potential is one of the primary reasons offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has whipped out the "Greatest 'Shoe on Earth" tag for his suddenly stacked offense.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast features Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo sharing his thoughts on the upcoming season.
