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- Mar 19, 2019
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INDIANAPOLIS — The pressure is on for Reggie Wayne.
Last year, former Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai and linebacker Gary Brackett teamed up to announce the team’s four second-round picks at the 2018 NFL Draft in Dallas. Those names? Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, Kemoko Turay and Tyquan Lewis.
That’s the 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (Leonard), the Colts’ All-Rookie right tackle (Smith) and two key playmakers along the defensive line (Turay and Lewis).
This time around, the Colts once again enter the draft with multiple second-round picks — and it’s up to Wayne to make sure the team’s string of success in the round continues.
The National Football League has announced that 64 NFL legends and active players will once again announce their respective teams’ second- and third-round selections live from the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, Tenn. Wayne, the legendary Colts wide receiver, is scheduled to announce Indy’s two second-round picks at No. 34 and No. 59 overall, respectively, barring any changes from now until the second round gets underway on April 26.
Wayne himself was the Colts’ first-round (30th-overall) selection in the 2001 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami. The six-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro selection in 2010 played 14 seasons (2001-14) in Indianapolis, and ranks 10th in NFL history in receptions (1,070) and receiving yards (14,345) and is tied for 23rd all-time in receiving touchdowns (82).
A key member of the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI championship team, Wayne saved perhaps his best performances for the biggest of spotlights. He currently ranks third in NFL history in postseason receptions (93), fifth in postseason receiving yards (1,254) and tied for ninth in postseason receiving touchdowns (nine).
Wayne, a 2018 Colts Ring of Honor inductee, actually won’t be the only team great at the wide receiver position announcing one of the Colts’ draft picks this year.
The team announced Thursday that fellow Ring of Honor inductee Bill Brooks will be announcing the Colts’ sixth-round choice from downtown Muncie, Ind., as part of the NFL’s 100th season celebration. Muncie was home to the Flyers, one of the NFL’s original franchises in its inaugural season in 1920.
That event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 2 to 5:30 p.m. ET April 27 at Canan Commons, 600 S. Walnut St., in Muncie.
Wayne, meanwhile, will be one of several former first-round picks announcing his teams’ second-round choices on April 26. He’ll join the likes of: running back Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks), tackle Willie Anderson (Cincinnati Bengals), linebacker Carl Banks (New York Giants), linebacker Keith Brooking (Atlanta Falcons), tight end Earl Cooper (San Francisco 49ers), quarterback Trent Dilfer (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), defensive end Carl Eller (Minnesota Vikings), running back Eddie George (Tennessee Titans), cornerback Darrell Green (Washington Redskins), wide receiver Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh Steelers), wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans), defensive end Ed Jones (Dallas Cowboys), running back Jamal Lewis (Baltimore Ravens), wide receiver James Lofton (Green Bay Packers), center Nick Mangold (New York Jets), running back Deuce McAllister (New Orleans Saints), running back Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers), linebacker Shawne Merriman (Los Angeles Chargers), tackle Orlando Pace (Los Angeles Rams), wide receiver Mike Quick (Philadelphia Eagles), running back Billy Sims (Detroit Lions), running back Fred Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars), tackle Richmond Webb (Miami Dolphins), linebacker Al Wilson (Denver Broncos), center Eric Wood (Buffalo Bills) and cornerback Charles Woodson (Oakland Raiders).
Wayne will also be announcing a Colts’ draft pick for a second time. Back in 2016, he announced the Colts’ third-round (82nd-overall) pick that year in Chicago: tackle Le’Raven Clark out of Texas Tech.