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With EJ Speed now in Houston, the Indianapolis Colts officially need to find a new starting linebacker to pair with Zaire Franklin.
Perhaps the answer at linebacker is already on the Colts' roster with Jaylon Carlies. As a rookie in 2024, Carlies was the Colts' third linebacker in their base 4-3 defense when healthy, and he brings some needed coverage ability to the position as a former college safety.
However, GM Chris Ballard also shouldn't assume that Carlies can step into that much larger, full-time starting role either. Instead, there should be a competition for that playing time--an element that Ballard wants to make sure is prevalent throughout the roster this season, which wasn't the case in 2024.
“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players into the locker room, I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna run it back,’” Ballard said after the 2024 season. “That was a mistake.”
There may be some free agent options still out there for the Colts at the linebacker position, but at this stage of free agency, the most likely answer for Indianapolis is going to come via the draft.
So let's take a brief look at several early-round prospects who could compete with Carlies and potentially replace Speed in the starting defense.
As already mentioned, an added coverage ability at the position should be on the Colts' radar, not to mention that versatility at the second and third levels of the defense is key in Lou Anarumo's scheme.
Demetrius Knight, South Carolina: Knight held opponents to a completion rate of under 70% and just 6.8 yards per catch. He had one interception and one pass breakup. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 61.7 as well.
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA: Schwesinger was a very reliable tackler, making 133 of his 144 attempts last season. In coverage, he allowed a completion rate of 77% at 9.4 yards per catch with two interceptions and two pass breakups.
Chris Paul, Ole Miss: Paul tallied 24 pressures on only 75 pass rush snaps last season. He missed just four of his 89 tackle attempts, according to PFF, and allowed 8.5 yards per catch with four pass breakups and one interception.
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama: Campbell has been very effective as a blitzer the last two seasons and an extremely reliable tackler. In coverage in 2024, he held opponents to 7.1 yards per catch with an interception and two pass breakups.
Barrett Carter, Clemson: Carter is an experienced player with 2,499 career college snaps. He's found success as a blitzer has graded out well against the run, according to PFF's metrics, while in coverage, he's allowed over 13.0 yards per catch the last two seasons with a completion rate of 63% and three pass breakups.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts NFL draft: 5 Linebacker prospects to replace EJ Speed
Continue reading...
Perhaps the answer at linebacker is already on the Colts' roster with Jaylon Carlies. As a rookie in 2024, Carlies was the Colts' third linebacker in their base 4-3 defense when healthy, and he brings some needed coverage ability to the position as a former college safety.
However, GM Chris Ballard also shouldn't assume that Carlies can step into that much larger, full-time starting role either. Instead, there should be a competition for that playing time--an element that Ballard wants to make sure is prevalent throughout the roster this season, which wasn't the case in 2024.
“Instead of really creating competition throughout and throwing new blood into the locker room, new players into the locker room, I said ‘you know what, we’re gonna run it back,’” Ballard said after the 2024 season. “That was a mistake.”
There may be some free agent options still out there for the Colts at the linebacker position, but at this stage of free agency, the most likely answer for Indianapolis is going to come via the draft.
So let's take a brief look at several early-round prospects who could compete with Carlies and potentially replace Speed in the starting defense.
As already mentioned, an added coverage ability at the position should be on the Colts' radar, not to mention that versatility at the second and third levels of the defense is key in Lou Anarumo's scheme.
Demetrius Knight, South Carolina: Knight held opponents to a completion rate of under 70% and just 6.8 yards per catch. He had one interception and one pass breakup. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 61.7 as well.
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA: Schwesinger was a very reliable tackler, making 133 of his 144 attempts last season. In coverage, he allowed a completion rate of 77% at 9.4 yards per catch with two interceptions and two pass breakups.
Chris Paul, Ole Miss: Paul tallied 24 pressures on only 75 pass rush snaps last season. He missed just four of his 89 tackle attempts, according to PFF, and allowed 8.5 yards per catch with four pass breakups and one interception.
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama: Campbell has been very effective as a blitzer the last two seasons and an extremely reliable tackler. In coverage in 2024, he held opponents to 7.1 yards per catch with an interception and two pass breakups.
Barrett Carter, Clemson: Carter is an experienced player with 2,499 career college snaps. He's found success as a blitzer has graded out well against the run, according to PFF's metrics, while in coverage, he's allowed over 13.0 yards per catch the last two seasons with a completion rate of 63% and three pass breakups.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts NFL draft: 5 Linebacker prospects to replace EJ Speed
Continue reading...
