Marlon Mack is clearly the Indianapolis Colts' No. 1 running back, but that does not mean that head coach Frank Reich has forgotten about the rest of the rushers on the roster. One player that Reich is particularly bullish on is Nyheim Hines, who Reich feels could represent a big-time receiving threat out of the backfield in 2020.
Per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star, Reich said of the back,
Frank Reich: “It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a game this season that Nyheim Hines has 10 catches.”
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) May 18, 2020
Hines, who played his collegiate football at North Carolina State, was originally selected by the Colts in the fourth round (104th pick overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He played in every game during his rookie campaign, rushing for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. But where Hines truly excelled was as a receiver, hauling in 63 receptions for 425 yards and two scores.
Then, this past year, Hines once again appeared in every contest and registered 199 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, averaging 3.8 yards per attempt. Once again, he made a larger impact as a pass-catcher, snaring 44 balls for 320 yards.
Given that Mack has amassed a grand total of 52 catches over his first three NFL seasons, it certainly makes sense that Reich sees a major role for Hines within Indianapolis' offense heading into 2020.
The Colts went 7-9 in 2019, missing the playoffs. The franchise underwent a rather significant change earlier this offseason, as Indianapolis brought in long-time Los Angeles Chargers veteran Philip Rivers to play quarterback.
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