Film Room Breaks Down Colts' New Star Edge Rusher

The Indianapolis Colts have made their first major move of the 2022 free agency period. What is the team getting out of their new star pass rusher?

The Indianapolis Colts have made a trade on the official first day of free agency. The Colts have agreed to send cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders for star pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

Ya-Sin was a major bright spot for a young Colts' secondary in 2021. He allowed the fewest yards in coverage on the team and emerged as the team's top outside cornerback down the stretch. He leaves a pretty massive void in the Colts' secondary.

On the other hand, the Colts desperately needed to make a move like this. The team has consistently been near the bottom of the league in pressures and sacks over the past few years and adding a player like Ngakoue could drastically change that.

Ngakoue, 26, has accumulated 55.5 sacks in his six year career thus far. He finished the 2021 season, under Gus Bradley, with 10 sacks, eight tackles for a loss, 23 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.

In today's film room, I dive into what this new pass rusher brings to the Colts' defensive line.

The Cross-Chop King

The best pass rushers in the NFL like to have go-to moves that they tend to set up over the course of a game. Von Miller has his dip and rip. Khalil Mack has his long arm. DeForest Buckner has his swim move..

Yannick Ngakoue is the Cross-Chop King in the NFL. His cross-chop has wreaked havoc on the league for half of a decade. This move is essentially a pass rush plan that features the edge rusher chopping across their body to pin the hands of the blocker.

Here is an example of how effective Ngakoue is with this move. He likes to utilize a euro-step as part of his pass rush plan on this move. He starts inside like he is going to power rush the offensive tackle, before quickly changing course to the outside.

As he redirects back to the outside, he uses his right hand to pin the outside arm of the offensive tackle. He does this so he can bend around the edge for the sack.

Ngakoue has mastered his own version of this popular pass rushing move. He has been doing the same thing for years now, and offensive tackles still struggle to block it on a regular basis.

All great pass rushers have a go-to move that gives opposing offensive linemen nightmares. This cross-chop is truly devastating and it is one of the reasons why Ngakoue is such a dominant pass rusher.

Winning in Other Ways

On top of having his one dominant go-to move, Ngakoue also has plenty of counters, and other moves, in his toolbox. While these other moves may not be as effective, they are more than capable of getting the job done.

When offensive tackles brace for the outside speed rush from Ngakoue, he can counter inside with a swim or under move. His combination of power and speed allows him to quickly disengage from blocks and allow him to make his way to the quarterback.

Ngakoue is also a bendy, and explosive, player off of the edge. He can sometimes beat offensive tackles with his raw ability to turn the corner and hit landmarks around the edge.

Here, he gets an excellent jump off the snap and bends around the corner for the hit on Lamar Jackson. The Colts have severely lacked a player with the skill set of Ngakoue for years off of the edge. His presence alone will do wonders for the Colts' defensive line.

Run Defense

While Ngakoue is certainly not known for being a dominant run defender, or even a good run defender, I didn't come away from his film thinking he was terrible in this department.

He does struggle to hold up at the point of attack in the run game, but his speed and athleticism does pop in this area as well. He can close space in backside pursuit in a hurry and he made a few eye-popping stops on runs like this one.

When he is aligned on the play side, he is certainly better when asked to shoot a gap than he is at holding his ground. He is quick and agile enough to side-step blocks in the run game, but the issues are still there in containing the edge.

Luckily, he will likely be in more of a rotational role. He probably won't see as many run defending snaps as he did in Las Vegas with the Colts' current group of edge rushers. If the team can just keep him fresh and available for pass rushing snaps, then this trade is a major win.

The Bottom Line

Taking personal feelings out of it, this is a great trade for the Colts. The team sent a young, ascending cornerback out in a trade, but they got back a premier pass rusher. The team has desperately needed a presence like this for years and they finally acquired a player that fits.

It certainly sucks to lose Rock Ya-Sin, but the duo of Yannick Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner is a fun combo to dream about. The Colts should see much better production out of their pass rushers with these two, along with the added development of 2021 first round pick Kwity Paye.

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