Best available players for the Colts in Round 2

Which players fell out of Round 1 that could potentially end up available at pick 45 for the Colts to snag?

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Mike Green, Edge, Marshall

On tape, Green looks like Edge 2 in this class behind only Abdul Carter. However his off the field concerns with 2 separate sexuall assault allegations in High School and college at Virginia (the latter of which led to a suspension and transfer to Marshall) likely contributed to his draft day fall. The Colts are unlikely to consider him due to these concerns off the field.

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Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Johnson on tape is one of the top Corners in the class, and would have a case for top 10 players in the class. Combining his size (6’2 and 194 lbs.), his fluidity and body control, along with being a high level athlete who can dominate in the press man or reading plays in zone. He is a strong run stopper as well, giving him such a well rounded profile on tape that the concerns feel nitpicky when he is on the field.

Why is Johnson still available?

Injuries. He suffered a knee injury that cost him nearly a month of play in 2023, and dealt with turf toe and hamstring injuries in October of 2024 and have prevented him from participating in the pre-draft process in all star games, Combine, and pro day. His knee might still be a concern based off of medical re-checks as well.

The Colts could roll the dice on Johnson, who if/when healthy would provide them with a sensational shutdown Cornerback duo with newly signed 2023 All-Pro Charvarius Mooney Ward. They do have depth with 2024 starters Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack III able to start at outside Corner in the meantime, as well as another high upside but concerning injury history corner in former 2023 2nd Round pick JuJu Brents.

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Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

One of my favorite pass rushers in this class, Ezeiruaku would help improve the Colts pass rush in the short and long term. His insane level of bend with a quick first step makes him so difficult for Tackles to get their hands on him, and he uses his 34” arms to keep them off of him with his arsenal of spins, swims, chops, and speed to power. He used all these tools and technical refinement to great affect, earning 16.5 sacks in 2024 and having a strong pass rush win rate and pressure rate.

He might not be the ideal player at setting the edge at 6’2 and 248 lbs, but he does provide value in the run game in pursuit and evading blockers to knife through for a Tackle for loss (21.5 in 2024). He has suggested that he is comfortable bulking up to the 250s to help alleviate these concerns somewhat and provide more power to his game.

The Colts only have 2024 1st Round pick Laiatu Latu as a notable pass rusher under contract after 2025, so adding Ezeiruaku gives them a potential devastating pass rushing duo off the edge for a long time.

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Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M

College football fans in Indiana are likely very familiar with Nic Scourton. The former Purdue Edge rusher broke out in 2023 with 10 sacks and 42 pressures as a Boilermaker, then transferred to Texas A&M. The Aggies had him bulk up from playing in the 257-260 lb. range to playing in the 280s to try to increase his power as a run defender, despite him already setting a hard edge in 2023 (15 TFL and 32 Run Stops). This made him play with less burst and speed off the edge, hurting his pass rush production in 2024.

He brought his weight down to 257 lb. for the Combine, showing he was able to shed the Aggie weight quickly after the season and could re-emerge as the force he was in 2023. He didn’t test however, so we don’t have an indication of what level of speed and fluidity he got back. He is still the 2nd youngest player in the entire draft per Dane Brugler of the Athletic’s THE BEAST Draft Guide, so there is significant upside that he hasn’t hit his peak yet as a pass rusher even with that highly productive 2023 season under his belt.

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Shavon Revel, CB, Eastern Carolina

One of my favorite watches during summer scouting last year, Revel entered 2024 looking to cement his spot as a top half of round 1 Corner. He brings the same size as Will Johnson, but with more juice in his speed. Big, Physical, Long, and very smart Cornerback, he can thrive in multiple different coverage schemes and blankets his receivers with active hands and good mirroring.

However he suffered an ACL injury after only playing in 3 games last year, and wasn’t tested by the best WRs in his schedule. Missing the entire pre-draft process hurt, as him showing out in an All Star game would have really cemented his stock similar to what happened to Quinyon Mitchell last year at the Senior Bowl.

If he can recover from that ACL tear well, he provides another strong starting outside corner to make new Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo a very happy man.

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Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA

Schwesinger might have been a late bloomer in college after being a walk-on in 2021, and only played 101 Defensive snaps prior to last season, primarily having a Special Teams role for 2022-2023. But when he got his shot in 2024 he made the most of it, becoming an All-American with his relentless speed and energy flying downhill as well as impressive coverage instincts and IQ.

He racked up 136 tackles (90 solo), 9 Tackles For Loss (50 Stops), 4 sacks, and 2 INTs in 2024, using his speed, instincts, body control, quick hips, and reliable tackling to devastating results. The former Bruin projects very favorably as a WILL LB, which the Colts do have a need at with EJ Speed departing in Free Agency and only 2024 rookie and former Safety convert Jaylon Carlies (who showed flashes in a handful of games but dealt with 2 simultaneous injuries as a rookie) as an incumbent.

The biggest question for Schwesinger on tape was his ability to fight through blocks, especially as he was listed at 210-225 lbs in college. However at the Combine and the UCLA Pro Day he weighed in at 242 lbs and still looked just as fluid, fast, and explosive as he did on tape, showing that he could add some weight to deal with power but not compromise what made him such a force in college.

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Nick Emmanwori, SS/Nickel CB/WLB, South Carolina

Ballard loves his freak athletes, and there is perhaps no one freakier than Emmanwori in the class. He scored a perfect 10 RAS for Safeties, LB, and Corner, showing generational combination of speed, explosiveness, strength, and acceleration in a 6’3 and 220 lb. frame.

Emmanwori works best closer to the line of scrimmage, so Strong Safety in the box, a big Nickel Corner vs TEs or larger WRs, and being a Weakside Linebacker are his best spots. That hybrid ability is highly valuable for a creative Defensive play-caller. He flies downhill really well, with great range and pursuit.

He doesn’t have a very fluid backpedal and can play upright, which can hurt him as a deep safety and as a nickel especially, but he has great recovery speed. His instincts are solid but he needs to play with more urgency at times. Still he has the athletic gifts from some deity, versatility, and production to be an impact player with a sky high ceiling.

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Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State

Sticking with the freak athlete theme, Darien Porter is up there with the best athletes in the class. A near perfect 9.99 RAS his athletic profile is quite similar to JuJu Brents’ coming out, Porter is a 6’3 and 195 lb. corner with long 33” arms and ran a blistering 4.3 40 yard dash.

He has a lot of zone coverage reps, but with that size he has upside in a man heavy scheme too. He needs to show growth in press, stronger in run support vs blocks, and improve as a tackler, but the coverage ability with smooth hips and fluidity at his size is incredibly enticing. He even had use as a gunner on special teams and had 4 blocked punts.

Alongside his development needed, Porter has a small sample size of total, only starting/rotating in on Defense this past year. As a 6th year senior, that is certainly a bit concerning, especially since he wasn’t a full time starter for the whole year.

Still the upside is tantalizing and he is a very Ballard-coded player.

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Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

We finish off the list with Darius Alexander, a Fort Wayne, Indiana native who played his entire 5 year career at Toledo. Over the past 2 years, Alexander has broken out as a disruptive 3 Technique DT who can penetrate through gaps very well and brings an excellent blend of speed, power, length, and crafty technique that makes him a 3 down threat.

He is one of the older prospects in the draft at age 25 and can sometimes get displaced with higher pad level, but he showed out in the Senior Bowl and emerged as a big riser in this pre-draft process like his fellow Rocket Quinyon Mitchell last year. He would be an excellent player to provide depth in the rotation behind DeForest Buckner, and could be the successor to him in the middle of the Colts front.

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Round 3 Targets:

• Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon
• Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina
• Josiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan
• David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
• Ashton Guillotte, EDGE, Louisville
• Que Robinson, EDGE, Alabama
• Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
• CJ West, DT, Indiana
• Omar Norman Lott, DT, Tennessee,
• Vernon Broughton, DT, Texas
• Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland
• TJ Sanders, DT, South Carolina
• Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
• Tate Ratledge, G, Georgia
• Aireontae Ersery, T, Minnesota
• Jonah Saiivanaea, OL, Arizona
• Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
• Wyatt Milum, OL, West Virginia
• Miles Frazier, G, LSU
• Dylan Fairchild, G, Georgia
• Ozzy Trapillo, T, Boston College
• Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
• Kevin Winston Jr, S, Penn State
• Demetrius Knight II, LB, South Carolina
• Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss