Colts' Rookie Receiver Flashing Downfield Ability in Training Camp

Indianapolis Colts' rookie Anthony Gould has been a downfield star in Training Camp thus far.

Feb 1, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; East wide receiver Anthony Gould of Oregon State (2) returns a punt for a touchdown against the West during the second half at the Ford Center at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts made wide receiver a focal point in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Texas pass catcher Adonai Mitchell in the second round and Oregon State's Anthony Gould in the fifth round of the draft. While Mitchell has certainly had his flashes early in camp, Gould appears to be making a name for himself with the reserve offense.

The Colts are just under halfway through their Training Camp practices for this offseason and Gould has flashed in seemingly every single practice. He has been one of the main faces of the Colts' return unit on special teams and his ability in the vertical passing game has been evident early on.

Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was gushing about the young pass catcher after the practice the other day and went off on this long tangent when asked about Gould's performance in camp thus far:

"Yeah, he's made some big plays and he's had some opportunities at some – that just quite haven't gotten there, whether it's just a hair off with a throw, or just a hair off of some good coverage. Anthony (Gould) has shown us that he's going to have the ability to make big plays. Right now, he's pushing the ball down the field."

"We've just sort of gotten the pads on and obviously, we're not playing sort of tackle football right now. So, I think some of the catch-and-run stuff is something that Anthony can do well. He's got a really exciting skillset. He comes to work every day and works. Man, he works. He works. He's working really hard in Coach Reggie’s (Wayne) drills. He's putting his time in with special teams. He is making the most of this training camp to sort of improve himself, but also sort of show us what he's got, right?"

"We're excited about the offense that we're sort of putting together this year and all the different sort of tools that we have and guys, ways that we can attack the defense. I think Anthony's trying to break into that and sort of show us what he can do when he gets those opportunities and he's done that, right? Like I said, last few days, he's made some plays down the field. I think there's more that's going to come as we continue through this camp. We're hoping for it."

Anthony Gould's film is much better than I expected it to be. He's got legit juice and change of direction ability at receiver. Sudden mover pic.twitter.com/uPOegurVRn

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) May 2, 2024

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Gould is a fascinating player to add to this Colts' wide receiver room. He was pegged in this latest draft as more of a special teams return ace, but his film at wide receiver was surprisingly good at Oregon State. Add in that he has elite speed and is plenty fluid, Gould could give the Colts some real juice on offense in rotational snaps this year.

As for his role on offense, he obviously slides in as the backup slot receiver behind Josh Downs from day one. If anything were to happen to Downs, Gould would immediately step in as the team's starter at that spot. If Downs and the other top four receivers on the Colts are healthy though, there still could be room for a role with Gould next season.

Veteran pass catcher Isaiah McKenzie saw just over 100 snaps on offense last season in a gadget/rotational role behind the starters. Those vacated snaps are there for the taking for Gould, along with a few more due to his upgraded ability in the vertical game compared to McKenzie. He may not pass 200-250 snaps on offense in year one, but that is a relatively decent chunk for a player selected on day three of the draft.

Overall, Anthony Gould has the juice to be a fun offensive weapon for the Colts' offense this season, even if we only see him in a limited capacity as a rookie.

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