The Indianapolis Colts thought they knew what they had when they selected former Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Campbell was coming off a huge senior season with the Buckeyes in which he caught 90 passes for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns.
At 205 pounds, he had excellent physical strength for a guy who ran a 4.31 40-yard dash, and it seemed Campbell would have every chance to excel opposite T.Y. Hilton with the Colts. But Campbell experienced a brutal slew of injuries that ruined his rookie season. He played in just seven games, finishing the year with 18 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Campbell said he realized after a tough first year he had never dealt with “real adversity” up until that point (via Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star):
“I learned that I'm human,” Campbell said Wednesday afternoon on a Zoom conference call with local media. “We kind of get caught up in, we’re football players, we’re big-time people, but we face real adversity as well. Honestly, up until that point, I couldn’t say that there was really any real adversity that I had faced in my life.”
The Colts hope Campbell can have a strong bounce-back season in 2020.
Indianapolis drafted former USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round of the draft, giving the Colts a good bit of differentiation in their receiving corps. Pittman is a big receiver who is more of a possession type, as opposed to the likes of Hilton and Campbell likely being relied upon for explosive plays.
The Colts also made a pretty significant change at quarterback, adding veteran Philip Rivers in free agency. Perhaps Rivers can help Campbell maximize his abilities if he can stay healthy.
Follow Us
Subscribe