The Indianapolis Colts made two major additions to their wide receiver corps this offseason. The first came on day two of the new league year with the signing of free agent Devin Funchess. General Manager Chris Ballard then followed with the drafting of speedster Parris Campbell in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Both players are likely to be counted on as major contributors in 2019. Here we will take a look at what they bring to the table, how they compliment each other, and how they may be used by head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.

Taking it to the tape

The Indianapolis Colts’ new toys provide a rather stark contrast in their athletic profiles and how they win on the field. Funchess relies on his massive 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame to create physical mismatches on the outside. Conversely, Campbell, who at 6-foot, 205 pounds is not diminutive by any means, threatens defenses with world-class speed (4.31 forty-yard dash).

Both feature considerable length providing quarterback Andrew Luck with forgiving catch radiuses (not that he needs much help with ball placement). Both also boast impressive explosion with Funchess notching a 38-inch vertical jump at the 2015 NFL Combine while Campbell logged a 40-inch vertical at this year’s event.

How they win

At a glance, Funchess’ career 14.0 yards per reception looks similar to the 12.3 Campbell posted during his career at Ohio State. A closer look reveals they could not be more different in nature. Funchess averages a very modest 1.8 yards after catch accounting for 12.8% of his receiving yards. Campbell, on the other hand, averaged an astounding 9.4 yards after catch making up 76.4% of his receiving totals. As those numbers would seem to indicate, these two had very different usage profiles.

Last season, Funchess lined up wide on 518 of his 623 snaps with 108 snaps coming from the slot, per PFF. He was targeted an average of 12.7 yards in the air, with 46 of his 77 targets being in the intermediate 10-19 yard range. Accordingly, his route distribution was primarily made up of digs, outs, comebacks, and fades. A typical usage profile for imposing receivers with modest speed.

In his senior season at Ohio State, Campbell saw 486 of his 586 snaps come out of the slot. Therefore, Campbell was primarily targeted behind the line of scrimmage or within 10 yards. In fact, he only saw 21 of his 111 targets travel beyond 10 yards in the air. One of the most remarkably linear usage profiles I can recall seeing for a receiver.

Consequently, the vast majority of Campbell’s touches were of the manufactured or schemed variety because of his speed. Jet sweeps and bubble screens were his bread and butter with the occasional crossing or stick route thrown in for good measure. His coaches at Ohio State kept it simple. They got him the ball in space and let his blinding speed do the rest.

Yin and yang

These contrasting usage profiles should make is relatively easy for the two receivers to co-exist with the Colts. Rather than battling for the same role (and dueling to the death) they will provide complimentary skill sets. As a result, it is safe to assume we will see both Campbell and Funchess accompany TY Hilton in 3-wide receiver sets.

This would be a personnel package that is very organic schematically. With Campbell threatening the defense near the line of scrimmage and Funchess working the intermediate range outside of the numbers, Hilton will be free to do what he does best in blowing the top off of the defense. This dynamic provides timing, spacing, and rhythm to the offense.

2019 outlook

One of the biggest reasons for the Colts 2018 success was how well this coaching staff tailored their systems and gameplans around the strengths of their players. They made things easy because they didn’t ask too much of their guys. They didn’t take players too far out of their comfort zone.

The additions of Funchess and Campbell align perfectly with that philosophy. Both players will be assuming familiar, comfortable roles. Consequently, this will allow them the opportunity to make an immediate impact without disrupting the ecosystem for anyone else. They will give the offense the ability to threaten all three levels of the defense from the receiver position. This can create a nightmare for opposing coordinators. The future is very bright for the Indianapolis Colts at the wide receiver position.

Ken Grant is a writer for PFN covering the AFC South. You can follow him @KenGrantPFN on Twitter.