5 Underrated Aspects the Colts Look For in Draft Prospects

Which under the radar characteristics do the Colts look for in draft prospects?

The Indianapolis Colts are firmly in the middle of draft season with the 2023 NFL Draft officially less than a month away. We can speculate all we want about how the team values certain athletic profiles and such, but we know that the team puts a major emphasis on the mental makeup of the player they are selecting.

The Colts like to draft well rounded players/people and players that have been able to overcome challenges in their life. We can analyze how a player can fit the team on the field, but the bigger piece of the puzzle (that we hardly see) is the behind the scenes element.

While we don't have access to the player interviews or character assessments, the Colts do have some traditional trends that they look for in players that fit that versatile mold.

So, here are five under the radar traits/attributes that the Colts value in draft prospects:

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1.) (Successful) Position Changes

The Indianapolis Colts love players that can overcome adversity. What better way to diagnose that than looking at a player that had to change positions in college and still found success?

The most notable example of this is when the Colts selected EJ Speed out of Tarleton State back in 2019. Speed had changed positions so many times in college that the NFL Network crew wrongly listed him as a wide receiver.

Some other notable position change players include Bernhard Raimann (tight end moved to offensive tackle), Danny Pinter (tight end moved to offensive tackle), Rodney Thomas II (linebacker moved to safety), and Jelani Woods (quarterback moved to tight end). The Colts simply love to see players succeed when moving to a new position.

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2.) Special Teams Prowess

A major aspect of players getting drafted on day three (and getting signed as UDFA's) is their ability on special teams. Roster spots are far from guaranteed in that range of the draft, but the Colts like to zero in on players that excel in the third phase of the game on the that day of the draft.

Isaiah Rodgers Sr is the best example of this. The 2020 6th round pick was an outstanding return man at UMASS, while also logging nearly 600 career snaps as a coverage man on special teams. The Colts envisioned a star special teamer when they made that selection (and obviously got so much more).

Some other notable special teams stars in college were Nyheim Hines (two return touchdowns at NC State), Jordan Glasgow (over 800 career special teams snaps at Michigan), and countless UDFA's such as Ashton Dulin and Dallis Flowers. 

3.) Leadership Roles/Community Outreach

When a team is drafting a player, they are investing in more than the on-field project. They are investing the person and the character. The Colts have certainly taken their fair share of risks in this regard, but they typically value players with high level character away from football. It is easier to invest money and time into a player that is well-liked and well-rounded.

The best example of this is easily linebacker Zaire Franklin. Franklin was a three-time team captain in college, a charter member of Uplifting Athletes, and a member of the Syracuse leadership council early on in his career. His off-field profile combined with his athletic gifts made him an easy person to invest in for the Colts.

Other notable players in this regard include Khari Willis (keynote speaker at the Big Ten luncheon in 2018 and involved in countless community outreach programs), Sam Ehlinger (multi-time team captain selected to the AFCA Good Works Team for his community outreach), and Kwity Paye (finalist for the Senior CLASS award in 2020).

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4.) Transferring Up To Tougher Competition

Again, the Colts like to see players rise above adversity. Another way they can identify this is when a small-school player makes the jump up to tougher competition (and still thrives). There may not be too many examples of this in the Colts' recent draft history, but there likely will be more going forward with the new college football transfer rules.

The most notable player for this list is cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. The Colts were sky-high on the young player, and one thing that General Manager Chris Ballard loved about his game was that he made the jump from Presbyterian College up to Temple. Ya-Sin not only made this jump, but he earned the "Temple Tuff" single digit with the team and emerged as a star player. This was a major factor in the Colts having a first round grade on Ya-Sin back in 2019.

The only other somewhat transfer up to mention is Jelani Woods moving from Oklahoma State to Virginia. It's a minor bump up in competition (at least ACC defenses vs Big 12 defenses), but I'm sure it played a factor.

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5.) Small School Dominance

For the players that elect to stay at a lower level, the Colts want to see that player move at a completely different speed than everybody else. While that may seem obvious to anybody reading this, the Colts do certainly value small-schoolers and they have an incredible hit rate with these types of players.

The biggest hit is a toss up between Grover Stewart (Albany State) and Shaquille Leonard (SC State). Leonard was a bit higher of a profile coming out of college, but the Colts loved his intensity and play style at the FCS level. They also loved his 20 tackle performance against Clemson during his senior season. Stewart was a great day three find for the team and has emerged as a a top tier run stuffer in the NFL.

Some other notable small schoolers include EJ Speed (Tarleton State), Rodney Thomas II (Yale), and Eric Johnson (Missouri State).

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