INDIANAPOLIS —"The Flea" is making waves.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver JoJo Natson has been named to Pro Football Focus' Preseason Week 2 "Team of the Week" for his performance on Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys.
In all, Natson caught three passes for 60 yards in the game, while he also returned one punt for seven yards and one kickoff for 25 yards.
But it was Natson's work out of the slot that got the attention of PFF, who gave him a 84.2 overall game grade on its scale. Here's why he landed on this week’s list, according to writer Josh Liskiewitz:
*Slot receiver: JoJo Natson, Indianapolis Colts, 84.2 overall grade
Natson, for the second straight week, had a strong showing, as he grabbed three balls on six targets for 60 total yards. All of his catches came from the slot, making him the top yards-earner for the week from the alignment. Through two weeks he has amassed eight grabs for 111 yards and no drops, and could be a serious competitor to Phillip Dorsett for the starting slot receiver spot in Indianapolis.*
Natson has definitely been able to take advantage of his opportunities. A 5-foot-7, 153-pound undrafted rookie out of Akron, the speedster has certainly caught the attention of his head coach, Chuck Pagano, who has given Natson that aforementioned nickname already.
"He's a really good receiver; he made plays as a receiver," Pagano said when asked about Natson's abilities both as a returner and a receiver. "If he continues to progress and pick things up mentally and learn the playbook and he can be a multi-positional guy, whether we just play him in the slot or he can go do something outside and then the special teams value – it's going to give him a heck of a chance to make this football team.
"It's hard to find a guy that will see a seam and go straight ahead no fear and dodge them," Pagano continued. "He's tougher than damn nails and they can't get a clean hit on him. His nickname is 'The Flea.' You can't touch 'The Flea.'"
For his part, Natson said he's just happy to contribute to the team any way he can.
"I try and bring my skillset in every way of the game — receiving, returning; hey, back in the backfield — whatever the coach needs me to do, I'm just going to get out there and try to execute it the best I could," he said Monday.
The analysis from those producing content on Colts.com does not necessarily represent the thoughts of the Indianapolis Colts organization. Any conjecture, analysis or opinions formed by Colts.com content creators is not based on inside knowledge gained from team officials, players or staff.
