INDIANAPOLIS – The evaluation of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Phillip Dorsett is like that of most NFL players.

The good ones are rarely as great as characterized. The not-so-good ones are often not as wretched as portrayed.

The truth? It usually lies somewhere in the middle.

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So maybe we should simply agree Dorsett has been underwhelming through his first two seasons and save the hyperbole for later.

No, he hasn’t taken the league by storm. No, he is not on his way to Canton. And, no, defensive coordinators do not lie awake at night, fearful of their inability to stop him.

If you judge Dorsett based upon what he was expected to be – a receiver capable of explosive plays – he has done that at times (see his 16 yards per catch in 2016).

Here’s the problem: Dorsett does it much too sporadically to have any sort of sustained impact.

Which brings us to 2017, Dorsett's third year. The Colts are under new management, with General Manager Chris Ballard now calling the shots, not Ryan Grigson – the guy who drafted Dorsett in the first round in 2015.

There will come a time when the occasional huge play – be it a long reception or a huge gain via a pass-interference call – will no longer cut it. There will come a time when the critical dropped passes can no longer be explained away.

The question for Dorsett is this: Does that time arrive before he finally takes his game to a higher level?

It’s the offseason, so all anyone can do is talk. The games come later. For now, Dorsett is talking the talk. He knows what it is going to take.

“I’m not really trying to worry about where I got drafted or who’s (here),” he said. “Just put your head down and grind and compete. That’s competition. I love competition.”

Dorsett’s problem has never been an unwillingness to work. But there have been times when you wondered whether he realized how fleeting NFL careers can be. There have been occasions when he responded to questions about his lack of production with answers that made you wonder whether he truly understood the stakes.

But that could not be said Tuesday, when Dorsett confidently stepped to the microphone at Colts headquarters and shared his current perspective.

“I chose to do this,” he said. “This is my profession. I want to do this until the wheels fall off.”

When that happens is up to him.

Dorsett entered last season as the presumptive No. 3 wideout behind T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. Moncrief’s shoulder injury in Week 2 against Denver presented Dorsett with a prime opportunity to assume an expanded role in the offense, but that never materialized.

He caught eight passes over the next four games while Moncrief was sidelined, with quarterback Andrew Luck spreading the ball around to a host of other options among the receivers and tight ends. Dorsett’s most impactful play during the stretch came on a 64-yard touchdown against the Jaguars – one of the more embarrassing busted coverages you’ll see.

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Entering 2017, Dorsett can't even be considered the No. 3 receiver. The addition of free agent receiver Kamar Aiken raised the bar for Dorsett, who will have to consistently impress coaches to claim that spot. And Aiken isn’t his only competition. There’s the ever-improving Chester Rogers and a group of undrafted free agents the Colts recently added.

“We already had a lot of talent in the receivers’ room and then we added Kamar,” Dorsett said. “It just adds competition to the group. I feel like if you’re not a competitor, you’re not cut out for football.”

One of the challenges deep threats like Dorsett often face is impacting games when defenses take away the long ball. That’s when they must be skilled at making plays underneath the coverage, where precise route running can be a bigger determinant of success than pure speed. Perhaps that’s why Dorsett has been focusing on refining his routes this offseason with new receivers coach Sanjay Lal.

“I’m definitely improving,” said Dorsett, who has raved about Lal.

Dorsett’s coaches are keeping an open mind. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said last week that year three is often when the light comes on for young receivers. Dorsett is just 24, mind you. He has spent his first two seasons adjusting to a wider array of responsibilities than he ever had at the University of Miami.

But no one is going to wait for forever. Remember, the Colts will be forced to decide whether to exercise the 2019 fifth-year option on Dorsett’s contract next offseason.

Now would be a good time to give them something to think about.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder onTwitter andFacebook.

THIRD TIME THE CHARM?

Should the Colts expect receiver Phillip Dorsett to breakout in his third year? Over the past 20 years, 12 receivers selected in the first or second round have produced between 650 and 850 yards in their first two seasons (Dorsett has 753). Here were their results in their third year.