Insider: Phillip Dorsett gives Colts embarrassment of offensive riches

He spent his winter mornings hitting the weight room with Andre Johnson. One of the first texts he got on draft night came from Edgerrin James.

So, yeah, it sounds like Phillip Dorsett will fit in just fine with the Indianapolis Colts.

Once the shock wore off — no, since you're curious, he didn't think the Colts were taking a receiver in the first round of Thursday's NFL draft any more than you did — it was utter elation. And it's hard to blame him. Dorsett's a game-breaking receiver joining a game-breaking offense that led the league in passing last season and dropped 28 points a game. With him in the fold, they might average 35 next year. Or 40.

"I know there was some surprise," Colts owner Jim Irsay said Saturday. "But he's a special guy. If (late Raiders owner) Al Davis himself was in the room (when we were picking him), he'd tell you, 'Don't pass this up.' "

After the initial jolt wore off — with the Colts' depth at wide receiver, neither Dorsett nor his family figured Indianapolis was an option — he put it all together. Then he smiled. That's because he realized he'd be playing with Andrew Luck.

"That's the kicker, right there, oh my goodness," Dorsett's father, also named Phillip, said Saturday afternoon after his son was introduced at Colts headquarters. "My son didn't win the state lottery. He won the Powerball."

The younger Dorsett knows it. Greeting Colts season ticket holders Saturday afternoon after meeting with Irsay, he made it clear. As his father noted, a quarterback makes the receiver, not the other way around.

"That was my thing, coming into the draft," he said. "I was hoping I'd end up with a good quarterback. I got one of the best."

Luck figures to be smiling as well. Turns out, the toys the Colts delivered him in March's free agency period, headlined by Johnson and Frank Gore, were just the start. Here comes Dorsett, the icing on the cake, a 5-9, 185-pound speed demon who figures to slide into the slot position and give opposing defensive coordinators another headache in blue they must account for every Sunday.

In cutting Josh Cribbs on Friday, the Colts made another thing clear: Dorsett will be the team's primary return man this coming season. He's another versatile weapon to add to the arsenal, a precocious young talent the Colts hope will mesh with an offense that already features heaps of young talent.

There's Luck. There's T.Y. Hilton. There's Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. There's Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter.

Now there's Phillip Dorsett.

If all goes to plan, this unit could soon look like an embarrassment of riches. General Manager Ryan Grigson labeled it an "easy call" Thursday night after drafting Dorsett over the bevy of defensive prospects that were still available. Irsay backed him up Saturday.

Over the hours and days that followed, Dorsett pictured himself in the league's top offense.

"My eyes light up when I see it," Dorsett said. "I see how much they throw the ball. How many yards (Luck) throws for. Honestly, I've never been in a situation like this, ever."

Few receivers have. A product of famed St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida, Dorsett heeded the gospel of Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, an assistant on the team. To hear Dorsett tell it, Carter's the tutor who molded him from speedster to complete wideout.

"He taught me a lot and I wouldn't be the receiver I am today if I didn't have him," Dorsett said.

After high school, Dorsett landed at Miami, started 30 games in four seasons and became one of the most explosive downfield threats in the country. No player in the nation could match his 23.3-yard-per-catch average over his last two seasons. In a game last year, he raked in 201 receiving yards, the third-highest in program history. And this is a program that produced Johnson, Michael Irvin, Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss.

Dorsett models his game after the likes of his new teammate, Hilton, and Pittsburgh Pro Bowler Antonio Brown, both of which are short in stature and long in production.

"They're two of the best receivers in the league. Why wouldn't you want to be like them?" Dorsett said. "In their paths to stardom, I see my own."

If he's to do that, make no mistake: His speed will be his meal ticket. Sometimes, it pays to be a former sprinter.

Consider how quick Hilton is on the football field. Then consider this: He clocked a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash during his combine workout.

Dorsett ran a 4.33.

"Does track transfer over to the football field?" Dorsett asked in a Players' Tribune article he penned before draft day. "Ask the cornerback trying to get his hands on me."

Confidence won't be lacking. Dorsett spent his winter and spring bulking up with his Miami brethren, including Johnson. Little could he — or anyone, for that matter — have known the Colts would pull a stunner Thursday night in the first round and add to one of their most loaded positions.

The receiving room just got more crowded. And more competitive.

Hilton. Johnson. Moncrief. Carter. Dorsett. Remember, there's only one football to go around.

It was the last question Dorsett was asked during his news conference Saturday afternoon. How, exactly, does he feel about all of that?

"Man, I went to Miami," Dorsett said, smiling. "I've always embraced competition."

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134. Follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.