'I feel like I'm a better player': Colts TE Drew Ogletree on return from ACL tear

WESTFIELD - Drew Ogletree is launching himself into run blocks, catching touchdown passes from Anthony Richardson and laying out for receptions down the field.

He's showing flashes of who he was in last year's camp before he tore an ACL and lost his rookie season.

"Before I even stepped on the field, I had to take a deep breath in," Ogletree said. "First time back, there's some butterflies in the stomach, like, 'OK, we're back. We're about to go do this.'

"After that first rep, I was like, 'OK, we're back to normal. It's just like last year.'"

Ogletree was the breakout star at this time a year ago. He was a sixth-round rookie out of Youngstown State who looked nothing like a first-year player. He had a 6-foot-5, 260-pound body developed from six years of college and lifting with offensive linemen. He was an athlete who was once Ohio's Division III Player of the Year for high school basketball and a wide receiver at the University of Findlay, until Colts scout Chad Henry urged him to make the switch to tight end.

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The Colts raved about this pick before he got on the field, and those weeks of August practice with Matt Ryan showed the rare rookie tight end who isn't overwhelmed by the speed of the playbook or the defense he's up against. Following Jack Doyle's retirement, and with second-round rookie Jelani Woods still growing into his 6-foot-7 frame, Ogletree was poised for a first-team role.

Then he went down during a joint practice with the Lions and couldn't get up.

Ogletree remained in high spirits after the injury. He'd built a bond with Woods. He was less than two hours from where he grew up in Dayton, Ohio. And he could rehab with a purpose, having torn an ACL in the opposite knee in college, right before he transitioned to tight end.

The past few months have been about pushing himself back with precautions. He caught passes during the spring but didn't practice during veteran minicamp, even though he thought he could have. He didn't make it to Miami for Richardson's throwing camp with receivers because he was busy watching his 8-year-old son and younger brother, but he spent the mornings with them at a local field running sprints and pushing that knee back into shape.

He's playing with a brace, but it's on his left knee, not the one he just had surgically repaired.

"I've been through this before, and I came out stronger last time," Ogletree said. "I know I can come out stronger this time.

"I feel like I'm a different player, but I feel like I'm a better player. I got that year under my belt and I can play more fast and I can play more smooth, with more technique. I can take everything I learned from last year and incorporate it this year."

The Colts could use the Ogletree they're seeing now. Last year's tight end room didn't feature any player with more than 302 yards, and the run game fell off a cliff without Doyle and other offensive line issues.

Indianapolis hired Shane Steichen to implement a variation of an Eagles offense that reached the Super Bowl and produced a second-straight 700-yard season for Dallas Goedert.

The Colts don't have a tight end that established, which is why they've made their room the most crowded on the roster. It currently features Woods, Ogletree, Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Pharaoh Brown and fifth-round rookie Will Mallory, in addition to some players competing in camp. Not all will make the cut.

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But so long as he stays healthy, Ogletree can work himself into a lock at the position as perhaps the most balanced option between receiving and blocking. Both will be pertinent in an offense that plans to run the ball heavily with Richardson but that also needs to support the rookie quarterback with check-downs and safety valves when he does need to pass.

Ogletree wants to be that helping hand.

"When I got here, there were a lot of guys raving about the camp he had last year," said new tight ends coach Tom Manning, who arrives after spending the past four seasons at Iowa State. "He has certainly not disappointed. ... He carries himself like a professional. He has professional work habits. I think if you just met him, you'd be a little shocked maybe that he hasn't been here that long, but I think that's why he's here."

It's early, and it still needs to translate to the games, but Woods and Ogletree are looking like a future duo at the position, given their complementary skill sets and room to grow. Woods is one of the most athletic tight end prospects in history and has trimmed his upper body in order to move smoother this season. Ogletree is more of the jack of all trades.

They're playing one of the most difficult positions to learn for young players, but they have each other as resources on the field now.

"Just knowing how this offense is, you can see the big picture of both of us being in there," Woods said. "It's definitely exciting, with him being back and working out the kinks and getting back to football. It's going to be awesome."

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Drew Ogletree poised for another big camp following ACL recovery