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Luck already impressed by rookie locker mate Kelly

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Indianapolis Colts weren't overly subtle with their expectations when they used their 2016 first-round pick on center Ryan Kelly.

After years of success with Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday making the center-quarterback exchange, the Colts brought in Kelly to do the same with Andrew Luck.

So far, Luck has been impressed with Kelly in OTAs and the two have begun to develop their relationship off the field as locker mates.

"New locker mate Ryan right here, he's been great," Luck said, according to a press release. "He's smart. He's conscientious. He's tough. I think he's got a little ornery in him. He's a little bit mean, which is great.

"It's nice to be locker buddies with Ryan. He's gone out there and really been impressive in the couple days of team stuff and even last week during the sort of the Phase II stuff and on the field stuff."

Because of restrictions in the collective bargaining agreement, teams can't work out in pads or partake in contact drills until training camp, giving players more time to develop off-field bonds.

"You can't just go out on the field every day and just expect that relationship to grow," Kelly told the Colts' website. "So just the little things: If it's eating lunch with him or eating breakfast with him in the chow hall, those things keep building relationships, and I think certainly the more time we work together, the better off we're going to be."

Saturday and Manning were known to be close friends and made the best of their situation. Colts coach Chuck Pagano admitted that Kelly is pretty much the team's only option at center, so anything that can be done to improve his chemistry with Luck is welcome.

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