Donte Moncrief looks like a number one receiver, runs like a number one receiver, and jumps like a number one receiver. That tantaliizing potential landed him in Indianapolis as a third round pick in the 2014 draft. Learning under established stars Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton, Moncrief showed signs of promise in his first two years due to his prototypical combination of size and speed. Sidelined by injuries in 2016 and without his star quarterback this past season, Moncrief saw his production drop off this past season. With the new regime of Chris Ballard and Josh McDaniels in town, Moncrief figures to be looking for work outside of Indianapolis.
The Colts used Moncrief as their WR3, primarily lining him up outside as an X-receiver. He primarily ran possession receiver type routes like curls, hitches, comebacks, and slants. He’s tall with a thin frame and average athletic ability with good acceleration and balance, solid quickness and explosion, and below average change of direction.
| PLAYER INFO | ||||
| #
10 |
Pro Position(s)
WR |
Prospect (Last, First)
Moncrief, Donte |
DOB (Age)
8/6/1993(24) |
Scout Name (Last, First)
Trapp, Zack |
| College
Ole Miss |
Year-Rd-Tm
2014-3rd-IND |
Team
Free agent |
| INJURIES | 2017 – groin (Week 14, missed no games)
2016 – no injuries 2015 – calf (Weeks 1-5, Weeks 16-17, WC missed first three games), shoulder (Week 13, missed no games) 2014 – back (Weeks 1-2, 15-17, missed final three games) |
| KEY STATS | 2017-26 Receptions, 391 Yards, 2 TDs, 55.6% Catch Percentage
2016-7 Touchdowns, led NFL in touchdown percentage per target
|
| MEASURABLES | ||||||||||
| Height | Weight | 40 YD | 10 YD | Arm | Hand | Vert | 3Cone | SS | Broad | Bench |
| 6023 | 221lbs. | 4.40s | 1.54s | 32 3/8” | 9 1/8” | 39.5” | 7.02s | 4.30s | 1100” | 13reps |
Positives
Moncrief knows where to take his routes and uses violent jab steps and hand swipes to win ideal leverage against press. He sells hard, consistent stems with solid acceleration to press the corner upfield. Sudden and smooth at the top of routes, Moncrief can sink his hips into breaks and throw subtle push offs to create space at the top of stop routes. He knows how to use his frame to big body smaller corners. The receiver shows excellent commitment on double moves with the runaway speed to capitalize when corners bite.
A natural hand catcher, Moncrief attacks and high points the ball when he’s stationary and can shield the ball from incoming defenders. He’s deft at tracking the ball downfield. He can lay out and snatch errant balls and survive the ground to make difficult catches. After the catch, he can get upfield quickly and has good ball security.
Moncrief is a willing blocker that will look for work downfield on chunk plays.
Negatives
When he faces more patient corners, he’ll pitterpatter and waste steps off the line. He doesn’t play as strong as his size would indicate and is slow to fight through a jam.
With long legs, Moncrief takes time to gather himself at the top of his routes, giving corners a beat on his routes and has adequate stop/start quickness. He isn’t precise with his route depths and doesn’t show a strong understanding of reading the defense’s allignment. He’ll round out at the top of digs and out routes.
When he’s moving quickly, he’ll allow the ball into his frame and has had some concentration drops. He doesn’t show a natural feel for finding the quarterbacks eye on scramble drills.
Projection
Still only 24 years old, Moncrief is barely older than some of the prospects entering the draft. With number one receiver upside, there’s plenty of upside to bet on down the line. In the present, he’s best suited as a WR3 in an offense that utilizes him over the middle of the field and in the red zone as a possession target. He’d make sense on a low-guarantee deal in the range of $3-4 million annually.
Grade: 5.00(Starter You Can Win in Spite Of)
