30 Days of Colts' Fits: Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
The 2023 NFL Draft is officially just under a month away. In order to help you all along until draft day, I decided to start a daily prospect spotlight series to talk about some players that the Colts could target next month.
The players mentioned in this series will be players that I have either heard that the team is really high on or are players that just make way too much sense for the team based on fit/past draft history.
Next up on the countdown to Draftmas is Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer.
Background
Trey Palmer is a former five star recruit that chose to attend LSU out of high school. Prior to joining the LSU football team, Palmer was a track star in his younger days. He won a 100 meter state championship as a senior and left high school as a four-time 200 meter champion.
Palmer was a highly touted player coming into LSU, but struggled to see the field on offense in his three years with the program. He hardly played during his first two years with the program, but he did enjoy a bit of a breakout in 2021 with the team. He caught 30 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns, while also returning a punt and a kick for a touchdown.
Following his redshirt sophomore season, Palmer transferred to Nebraska. He made his mark on the program in his lone year with the Cornhuskers. Palmer caught 71 passes for 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. He set new Nebraska records for receiving yards in a season and receiving yards in a game (237 at Purdue). He was named Second Team All-Big Ten for his play.
Following the season, Palmer accepted an invite to the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl.
Size/Testing
Height:
6'0"
Weight:
192 pounds
Testing Numbers:
40 Time: 4.33 seconds / Vertical Jump: 29.5 inches / Broad Jump: 114 inches / Short-Shuttle: 4.26 seconds / 3-Cone: 7.13 seconds
Ability on Film
Trey Palmer is one of the best deep threats in this entire draft class. He is an explosive player that knows how to win vertically. He also has a ton of experience in the slot, as 67.1% of his snaps a year ago came from inside.
Palmer is a vertical threat from the slot receiver position. He had 32 targets last season of over 20+ air yards. On such targets, he hauled in 12 of them for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. He may not be the contested catch guy that Alec Pierce is, but he can separate vertically and blow past defenders with his 4.3 speed.
Despite being labeled as a vertical threat, Palmer is also a player that is strong in space with the ball in his hands. He had a 60 yard rush against Purdue this past season, and had 385 yards after the catch on the season. His explosiveness in space is very reminiscent of Parris Campbell in college.
Palmer was a breakout player a season ago at Nebraska, and he is only scratching the surface of what he can be. A former 5 star recruit with track speed that certainly shows on film. This is the type of upside that you bet on in the draft.
Fit with the Colts/Team Interest
The Indianapolis Colts are moving to a vertical passing offense with the hiring of Shane Steichen. While the team did go out and add a speedster in Isaiah McKenzie, they could use another young pass catcher to threaten the defense at all levels.
Trey Palmer may not have had the best pro day, but his elite athleticism does show up on film. He can take the top off of a defense with his vertical speed while also being strong after the catch on underneath opportunities. His skillset would make him the perfect slot receiver in Shane Steichen's vertical offense.
The Colts haven't been too linked to Palmer this offseason (they met with him at the Senior Bowl), but this fit just makes so much sense on paper. The Colts are looking to replace the explosive Parris Campbell in the slot this offseason. Palmer brings a lot of the same elements that Campbell did while also being a better vertical threat on day one.
Overall, Palmer could be the missing piece for Shane Steichen's offense in Indy (aside from quarterback).
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Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
