Ashton Dulin

BIOGRAPHY

Ashton Dulin, born on 15 May 1997, is a widely recognized professional American football player. Particularly, he holds a strong reputation as a wide receiver and return specialist. Substantiating his mettle in these capacities, Dulin has been a part of the esteemed Indianapolis Colts, a team from the National Football League (NFL).

Coming from a humble background, Dulin was brought up in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Even during his formative years, Dulin held a strong penchant for sports. He attended Reynoldsburg High School, where he gained initial exposure to competitive sports by being a part of the school’s football and track teams. His exceptional prowess was swiftly recognized as he earned the first-team All-Ohio title at free safety during his senior year.

Sealing his commitment to his love for football and track, Dulin decided to pursue his college education at Malone University, dismissing an offer from Ashland. During his stupefying four-year stint at Malone, he emerged as an indispensable entity in the Malone Pioneers. His immaculate playing style aided him in securing a spot in the first-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). He showcased his proficiency by recording impressive stats of 59 receptions for 1,050 yards, and ten touchdowns during his junior season.

During his senior year, despite the discontinuation of Malone’s football team, Dulin’s caliber made him bag the first-team All-G-MAC again. Besides, he was recognized as both the conference Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year for recording 61 passes for 984 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and returning 28 kickoffs for 836 yards and three touchdowns. He concluded his college years with 189 receptions for 3,188 yards and 28 touchdowns, along with 387 yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries.

Apart from football, Dulin also manifested his talent in track, setting conference records in various categories such as the 100 meters, 110 meters hurdles, 200 meters, 400 meters hurdles, and the long jump. Dulin’s athletic prowess made him the G-MAC indoor track athlete of the year and secured him a place as a Division II All-American in the 60-meter hurdles while in his junior year.

Post his dazzling college career, Dulin signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2019. However, barely months later, he was cut by the Colts on August 31. But his impressive skill-set made the team re-sign him to the practice squad the very next day. Dulin was promoted to the Colts’ active roster on September 27, proving his worth to the team. He debuted in the NFL on September 29, 2019, playing against the Oakland Raiders. Here, he exhibited his adeptness by making a tackle on special teams and also made his mark as the first and only Malone football player to appear in an NFL game.

His NFL journey further saw him making his first career reception on December 1, 2019, when he caught a 13-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett. In his debut NFL season, Dulin played in 13 games, achieving two receptions for 17 yards, three kickoff returns for 90 yards and six tackles on special teams.

Dulin made it to the Colts’ 53-man roster to start the 2020 season. Dealing with injuries, he maintained to remain a part of the team by being placed on the injured reserve on November 7, 2020. His return was activated later that month on November 28th, and he further signed a one-year extension with the Colts on January 10, 2021.

In 2021, Dulin was lauded for his consistent, high-caliber performance, having appeared in all 17 games, and one start. He ended up second in the NFL with 17 special teams tackles, while also setting his career highs in receptions (13), receiving yards (173), and receiving touchdowns (two). He has so far ranked 11th in the league in special teams tackles (31) since entering the NFL in 2019. His skill and determination got him named as the Associated Press (AP) Second-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

However, it remained a tough journey as Dulin was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2022, yet he made an impressive comeback as he was designated to return from injured reserve on November 9, 2022, and was activated for Week 10. Despite another challenge of suffering a torn ACL during training camp, he re-signed with the Colts on March 20, 2023, showing his dedication towards the sport and his team.