INDIANAPOLIS –We are less than two weeks away from players flocking back to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center for work.
The Colts will start their nine-week offseason program on Monday, April 17.
Over the next week and a half, Colts.com will take a look at the "Burning Questions" for all position groups going into the 2017 offseason.
Here's a look at the wide receiver and tight end burning questions heading into the team's offseason program:
What does T.Y. Hilton need to do to reach All-Pro status?
With 1,448 yards last season, T.Y. Hilton led the NFL.
You are really nitpicking when trying to push Hilton up the pecking order of the league's best receivers.
What the 5-9 Hilton has done in five NFL seasons is really on a Hall of Fame pace (see stat below).
About the only area that's probably keeping Hilton from being recognized as an All-Pro type guy is his consistency over the course of 16 weeks.
Six times last season, Hilton was held to 54 or fewer yards in a game.
The famine part of the "feast or famine" nature Hilton had last year might have been the reason why he's still on the All-Pro fringe.
Hilton is a star.
There's no debating that. If Hilton can continue to make plays when teams apply more and more attention his way, he's going to continue to be a perennial Pro Bowler.
STAT TO NOTE: T.Y. Hilton ranks ninth in NFL history for most receiving yards after five seasons (5,861).How will Kamar Aiken fit in with Donte Moncrief and Jacoby Brissett?
T.Y. Hilton is No. 1 on the wide receiver depth chart.
After Hilton, there are some questions.
Donte Moncrief is probably the No. 2 guy. Injuries limited Moncrief to just nine games in his third NFL season, but he still hauled in seven touchdowns.
The 2017 season is a contract year for Moncrief and he can cement himself as a key piece of the Colts' future with a strong, healthy campaign.
You can probably throw Kamar Aiken's name into the mix with Phillip Dorsett, just behind Moncrief.
Aiken comes to the Colts after going from Baltimore's leading receiver in 2015, to their 8th leading pass catcher last year.
The Colts are high on the 6-2, 215-pound Aiken. His addition should allow the Colts to use some creativity in how they employ their wideouts, particularly in the red zone.
2017 isn't a contract year for Dorsett, but it's a mega season for the 2015 first-round pick.
What Dorsett shows (or doesn't show) this season will greatly impact how the Colts plan for their future at the receiver position.
Will the third-year be the charm for Dorsett in him showing off why Ryan Grigson took him 29th overall back in 2015?
Chester Rogers is another name to watch after the 2016 undrafted free agent made several plays during his rookie season.
STAT TO NOTE: In 2015, Kamar Aiken led the Baltimore Ravens in receiving (75 receptions for 944 yards).How much has the tight end position changed with the Dwayne Allen trade?
The blocking aspect of the tight end position will be tested with Dwayne Allen no longer in Indianapolis.
Jack Doyle should not be a worry for the Colts. His reliability is unmatched and proved last year that his completeness as a tight end is becoming more and more real.
With Mo Alie-Cox, the Colts have a budding player. Swoope averaged 19.8 yards per catch last year. His blocking responsibilities weren't too taxing though. That will inevitably have to change as he moves into a virtual starting role as the team's No. 2 tight end.
In Doyle and Swoope, the Colts have two tight ends who are ascending, and have shown to be healthy.
That duo could very well add another body come draft time.
This 2017 draft class is extremely deep at the tight end position. The Colts love what that group looks like and will not be adverse to selecting one later this month.
STAT TO NOTE: Jack Doyle's 78.7 catch percentage led all NFL tight ends last season.*
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.*
