Colts callin’: How T.Y. Hilton found out he was Indy-bound

Last spring, FIU football star T.Y. Hilton got the (good) call of a lifetime when he became the 92nd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

By Pete Pelegrin ’96

During his time at FIU, T.Y. Hilton’s incredible speed earned him the nickname ‘Goodbye.’

Home of the Indy 500, Indianapolis has long been a city known for speed. Former FIU and new Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton will certainly maintain the city’s rapid reputation.

Whether it was returning a punt for a touchdown in his first college game, scoring the decisive touchdown to secure the 2010 Sun Belt championship, or igniting FIU with a kickoff return touchdown in its first bowl game, being on time was never an issue for Hilton during his FIU playing days.

The Colts made sure they weren’t tardy on the electric FIU talent. Indianapolis traded up with the San Francisco 49ers into the late third round on April 27 to draft Hilton with the 92nd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

“I had a good feeling about the Colts when I took my visit up to Indianapolis,” Hilton said. “They told me they envisioned me in the slot, move me around outside, get me on kickoff and punt returns. They said they could utilize me a lot.”

Before the euphoric moment came for Hilton that night, there was a quiet nervousness in the Hilton home.

Several draft projections had Hilton getting picked in the late second round or anytime during the third round. Sources close to the draft process said the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, along with the Colts, were the teams expressing the most interest in Hilton as the draft’s second round began.

Throughout the evening, the family room grew quieter. T.Y.’s phone received two calls during the evening. Each time his phone rang, everyone in the room stopped. But neither of the two calls was the call T.Y was waiting on.

Each time a receiver was selected, T.Y. would move up teams’ draft lists. Sure enough, when the NFL Network flashed a graphic on the best available players in the draft during Friday night’s coverage, T.Y. jumped from the 15th to the fifth best available player when the third round started.

After taking the No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Andrew Luck, in Thursday’s first round, the Colts selected a pair of tight ends in the second and third rounds and seemed to be done drafting on Friday night.

Then at 10:42 p.m. came the call T.Y. had been waiting for all his life. T.Y.’s caller ID read: “Colts.”