Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin says the formula has never changed: show up, work, and prove it again.
Speaking live from training camp on Query and Company, Dulin said his approach is built on the same urgency he had when he first got into the league. “I always look at it as preparing like I’m a rookie, proving yourself over and over again each year,” Dulin said.
“That’s how you gain the coaches’ trust. Coming to work every day, putting in the work like it’s my first day on the job.”
That mindset has carried him through eight seasons, and it traces all the way back to a path that looked nothing like a straight shot to the NFL. Dulin came out of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and took a scholarship to run track and play football at Division II Malone University in Canton, a program that has since shut down.
He never lost faith that the work would get noticed. “Coming from a D-II, that small pond, I just knew if I do the work, they’ll find me,” he said.
“The rest has been history.”
Now he’s back in camp with a real opening in front of him. With Michael Pittman gone, the WR3 spot is up for grabs, and Dulin made it clear he’s ready for the competition. “That’s what makes this team great-everybody’s going to step up and compete, I can go over the middle, take hits, and I got the speed to run past people.”
His track background still shapes how he prepares, too. Dulin said his offseason work leans heavily on speed and conditioning. “I spend a lot of time on the track, heavy on the cardio, making sure my body is in the best shape possible.”
He also had praise for the Colts’ defensive backs, naming Sauce Gardner, Mooney, and Cam as players who sharpen the offense every day. Dulin called Gardner “smart, long, and sticky.”
Even after eight years, he still sees the whole thing as a gift. “You wake up every day like you’re living your dream.”
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